Two Sides of the Same Coin
by Itachiforever342
Summary: You all know Sasuke, dark, emo... What would happen if there was someone there to be his anchor after he'd fulfilled his revenge? Someone who knew Itachi's story?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Yet another one of my earlier fics, when I actually _liked_ Sasuke!

So...here we go!

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><p><strong>Two Sides of the Same Coin<strong>

Sasuke prepared himself for another day at the academy. As he sat down to put on his shoes, a voice called out to him, exactly like his own.

"Sake-kun? Are you leaving?"

He turned and nodded. "Yes, Saki-chan. Remember what I've told you."

"I will."

"Stay at _home_."

"Saki-chan" smiled, hands clasped together.

"All right, I'm going now."

"See you after the academy, Sake-kun."

Like every morning, he closed the door behind him, before praying silently that Saki-chan wouldn't get in trouble today.

But his prayers were in vain.

As he entered the academy, Saki-chan came out, shoes on and in the usual outfit. Everything about this tween said Sasuke: short spiked hair, dark eyes, stoic face, high-collared blue Uchiha shirt, cream-colored shorts, cream arm warmers with blue trim on both top and bottom and leg warmers that matched. Ninja sandals tapped lightly on the ground as the Uchiha planned for the day.

Only a moment later, Saki-chan ran out of a shop, the shopkeeper coming out too late to catch the young Uchiha.

"Uchiha Sasuke, you get back here this instant! How dare you deface my property!"

Only five minutes later, in a different shop, Saki-chan came running out, the owner shouting, "Uchiha Sasuke, get back here and pay for that meal you just ordered!"

For the rest of the morning and into the afternoon, other such incidents occurred.

"Uchiha Sasuke, you scoundrel!"

"Uchiha Sasuke, you thief!"

"Uchiha Sasuke, you brat!"

"Eeek! Uchiha Sasuke, you pervert!"

Sasuke came out of the academy, only to come across one of his admirers with Saki-chan. He groaned and hid to see what would happen.

"Sasuke-kun, I've really admired you since I first saw you. Could you…give me my first kiss?"

Saki-chan leaned forward as if to kiss her, but his hand slipped behind her and pinched her butt. She squealed and Saki-chan ran off, only for her to spot Sasuke.

"No use hiding, you closet pervert!"

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><p>Oh, this first chapter was so fun to write! The truth about "Saki-chan", next chapter!<p>

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

After that beginning, we will find out some things in this second one! I will post two chapters because I got locked out of my account, okay?

Here is the first!

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><p>Sasuke nursed his bruised cheek as he pulled Saki-chan into the house, having had to fix everything before getting home. He stepped out of his shoes and turned them around, Saki-chan doing the same.<p>

"_Uchiha_ _Satsuki_, I know you're only doing this to get my attention."

"Sasuke, I'm sorry."

"It's the same every day. You get into tons of trouble and I have to clean up after you. If you were truly sorry, it wouldn't continue."

"Sake-kun, I'm less stable when I'm alone. I get lonely and I want to be with my brother."

"We don't have to be together all the time."

"You know it would be easier if you just took me with you."

"There would be too much confusion."

"Of course there would be at first, because we're twins."

"If that's what'll get you to calm down, fine."

"Really?"

"Yes. You'll start coming with me tomorrow."

"Thank you, Sasuke-nii!"

"Don't call me that."

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><p>So now we have the info on the OC: Satsuki, the twin of Sasuke! More will be revealed in later chapters, of course!<p>

Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Here's the second chapter I promised! Now Satsuki's going to the academy! What'll happen now?

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><p>So Satsuki walked together with his twin, a calm look on his face. But the only thing different he wore was a bracelet on his left wrist, a yin-yang symbol hanging from it. He smiled a little was he entered the academy, before the squeals of girls were heard.<p>

"Sasuke-kun! I didn't know you had a twin!"

"What's his name?"

"This is Satsuki," Sasuke introduced.

"Satsuki-kun! You're just as handsome as Sasuke-kun!"

Satsuki, who wasn't used to this much interaction, just smiled.

He tested and passed with his brother to be a ninja. So when the meeting came for them to find out their instructors came, he sat next to his twin. Naruto, the class clown, glared at Sasuke, before someone was knocked into Sasuke, who bumped into Naruto, who threw Satsuki into Sakura. While Sasuke and Naruto coughed and gagged at the accidentally kissing, the white half of Satsuki's bracelet flashed, before he slumped over, all the girls around them gasping in shock.

"Sakura killed Satsuki-kun!"

"Naruto, you little—"

As Naruto was getting pounded, Sakura placed a hand on Satsuki's shoulder. "Um…Satsuki-kun? Are you okay?"

Satsuki sat up, opening his eyes to reveal that they were white. Sakura stared in shock, as Sasuke realized what happened.

"Um…where am I?"

"You're at the ninja academy," Sasuke explained. "It's okay, Shiro-chan."

"Um…I've never been here before… What happened?"

"You passed the final test, that's why you're here."

"Um…Sasuke-nii, so many people…"

Sasuke pulled "Shiro" over and patted his head like he as still a child. "I said it's okay, Shiro-chan. No one will hurt you while I'm here."

Sakura watched in confusion. "Um, Sasuke-kun, what's going on? Satsuki-kun suddenly became different."

"It's nothing, Sakura. Just keep away from him for now."

Shiro drew a picture while their teacher announced their teams, chuckling when he finished it. He held it up to Sasuke, who looked at it and nearly choked. He snatched it away and crumpled it up. Shiro stared at him like he'd just crumpled up the Mona Lisa. Sasuke sighed and smoothed it out before folding it and placing it in one of his back pockets.

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><p>Afterward, Sasuke dragged Shiro home, who stared at the boy like he was the cruelest person in the world.<p>

"You crumpled up the picture I made, Sasuke-nii!"

"It's embarrassing, no matter how good you can draw! You hugging me like that isn't right!"

"I like you that much!"

"Shiro-chan, we're not children anymore, so we can't hug like we used to!"

Shiro sniffed before pouting. He changed back to Satsuki, who looked around, confused. "Sake-kun, how did I get home?"

"Saki-chan, we walked home while you were distracted."

"Oh. What's that you're holding?"

Sasuke then noticed he was holding still Shiro's picture. "Somebody drew this for us. What do you think?"

Satsuki stared. "Who drew me hugging you like _that_? I haven't done that since we were kids!"

"I guess someone likes to see us together like this."

"I guess."

The boys took a bath together, sitting on opposite sides of the tub. Sasuke started up a conversation. "After today, we'll be in three-man units."

"But we're on different teams, Sake-kun. I don't like it when we're apart."

"You're not a child anymore, Saki-chan. You need to deal with not being by my side all the time. Tomorrow we'll get to meet our teachers, and we'll have to act like ninja. You'll have to cope."

"Um…Sake-kun?"

"Yes?"

"Can I at least sleep in your room tonight?"

"I can allow that."

After drying off, they put on white yukata, setting out their futons. Satsuki got into his futon and Sasuke his, looking up at the ceiling.

"Good night, Sake-kun."

"Good night, Saki-chan."

They both closed their eyes, Satsuki asleep instantly, but as Sasuke was dozing off, he heard his twin brother begin to talk in his sleep.

"No…don't go…Aniki…"

Sasuke gasped for air as he was seized around the chest, Satsuki clinging to him for assurance while he suffered from nightmares. He patted his brother's back, before falling asleep.

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><p>It seems as though Satsuki has some insecurities! Hmmm...this will need further chapters to find out! :D<p>

Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

This next chapter ought to answer some more questions on what's happening with Satsuki!

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><p>In the morning, Satsuki went out to train, trying to "cope" with having to be by himself instead of with his brother. He sighed, knowing he wouldn't be stable by himself right off the bat. Shivering off his nerves, he began by doing some simple exercises to warm himself up. He did dozens of each one, before shaking himself to loosen his muscles. He then began to practice his taijutsu, which wasn't as strong as some.<p>

As he kicked and punched, he was unaware that he had an audience. He worked as hard as his body would let him, wanting to get stronger faster than his rate had been since he'd started being a ninja. He caught his breath before starting his flexibility practice. He stretched as far as his body would allow, starting to build up a pretty good sweat.

As he was extending his back by bending all the way back and touching his hands to the ground behind him, he heard a voice shout, "Your sets are so vigorous!"

It startled him so much that he flipped onto his hands and knees, the black half of his bracelet flashing before he opened his eyes, flat gray. He stood and brushed himself off, looking around. He spotted who'd been watching him.

"Hello, were you watching me train?"

"Indeed I was! I've never seen anyone other than myself work so hard to improve their taijutsu! I'm Rock Lee, a student of Maito Gai! Who might you be, kid?"

"Kuro, I just graduated not three days ago from the academy. I try harder because I have to be on par with Sasuke-sama."

Lee jolted. "You're trying to catch up with Uchiha Sasuke, the top of this year's rookie genin?"

"Yes, but I need a better teacher, so I'm going to be set under a jonin just like he is. I was just getting some training in before going to meet my team."

"But the Uchiha are geniuses! How do you expect to train hard enough to keep up with an Uchiha?"

Kuro shook his head, sighing. "Somehow, although it helps that I was born into the same clan."

Lee blinked several times in succession as he tried to grasp the fact that not one, but two had survived the infamous Uchiha genocide. This boy was the same age as Sasuke, looked very similar to him, so there could only be one explanation. "Are you his twin?"

"Yes, I am."

"This is great! Can I train with you, Kuro-san? I want to see how well you fare against a seasoned genin!"

"If you wish."

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><p>They were both panting, Kuro harder, when they stopped their sparring match. "Indeed, you are a very skilled opponent! I admire you, Kuro-san! I hope you're stronger next we meet, because I certainly will!"<p>

Lee gave him a sparkling grin and a thumbs-up.

Kuro nodded. "I promise, Lee-san. You gave me a good sparring match, so I will strive to catch up to you, as well."

"I have to get back, so I'll see you later, Kuro-san!"

Kuro waved, then retreated back for Satsuki. The boy blinked, then winced. "Why am I so sore? Oh no! I need to get over to the academy to find out who my teacher is!"

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><p>It seems that Satsuki has two alternate personalities so far... "Shiro" and now "Kuro"... This ought to get interesting.<p>

See you all at my next chapter!

Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto! Unfortunately...

Well, it looks like some people liked my story, thanks for your reviews!

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><p>Satsuki sighed, after a few months of working so hard. He hadn't gotten anywhere with his training or missions. Sure he'd gotten comfortable on missions, but his power wasn't improving. He was sure Sasuke was progressing faster than he was.<p>

The tween walked through the streets of Konohagakure no Sato, before he stopped in front of the former section of the Uchiha clan. He flinched, but went inside, glancing around at what had once been a lively community. He touched his bracelet before seeing a pile of rubble that moved. He bent down and pushed the pebbles aside to find a black rabbit with red on the tips of its ears lying there. He lifted it and found it was still breathing.

*I…need…*

"Huh?"

*Water…and…food…*

He looked down at the rabbit dubiously, but nodded. He went to his house and picked up a bunch of carrots and some water, sitting at the table. The rabbit munched on every carrot offered, draining the bottle of water. It opened its dark eyes and looked at him.

*Many thanks, boy.*

Satsuki nodded, petting the bunny's ears.

*For it I will give you my services. You seem to be lacking in power as an Uchiha, so I'll help you amplify those powers.*

"Why is it that I seem to be the only one who can hear you?"

*I can only speak to the members of the Uchiha clan, better if they're carrying the Kekkei Genkai.*

"You mean I'm going to have Sharingan?"

*Yes, since you can hear me perfectly. All you need is a good teacher, and that would be me. I am Yui, and your name, boy?*

"Satsuki."

*Well then, Uchiha Satsuki, count me as a partner and mentor!*

Satsuki nodded and smiled.

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><p>Lol...I love the idea of him having an animal partner! Yay!<p>

Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

For those who reviewed and I didn't answer them as I usually do, I'm sorry! The new version of firefox is being retarded and not letting me! Your reviews are loved!

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><p>One day, Yui sniffed the pendant on Satsuki's wrist. *Not many boys your age wear jewelry. Why do you wear it?*<p>

"I just do, I guess… It was a gift, although I was only six at the time," Satsuki explained, pain flashing across his face.

*I sense I touched on a sensitive subject.*

"Yes, but don't worry. I doesn't bother me very much anymore."

Yui blinked as Satsuki washed the dishes from dinner, his head lowered.

The truth was, Satsuki wasn't exactly like his twin. He had steel-colored hair, larger eyes, and was more slender. While Sasuke let his emotions out on a point of hatred, Satsuki suppressed it and suffered through shocks only. Sasuke was calm and mature, while Satsuki was shy and naïve. All because of what had happened four years before.

*If that's what you wish. Satsuki, after this, please get some rest. You haven't slept well in days.*

"Okay Yui, although I don't know how well it'll work."

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><p>After waking up from the tenth nightmare in an hour, Satsuki laid on his back, eyes wide open. Sasuke was on a particularly long mission, so he wasn't there to help him. Yui hopped onto his partnerstudent's chest, looking down at him.

*Satsuki, you're starting to get shadows under your eyes. What is causing these nightmares? Maybe you should talk about it.*

"I can't."

*You say the same thing just before you wake up screaming. "No, don't go, Aniki." You don't call Sasuke that, so did you have an older brother that you care for?*

Satsuki sat up, Yui sliding into his lap. "I can't talk about it, Yui."

*If you don't, you'll never get over this insomnia. Your energy levels will drop to the point that you won't be able to function. This problem won't just be emotionally hurting you, but physically.*

The Uchiha boy stood up and ran to the front door, opening it. He ran outside and shook his head hard. Yui came out after him, sitting at his feet, but instead of seeing of the blank look Satsuki usually adopted when he shut everyone out, tears were pouring down his cheeks, his eyes squeezed shut and teeth clenched to try and stifle his sobs.

*Satsuki—*

"Shut up. You've awakened the pain I've buried for four years! I can't remember anything before then! It *hic* hurts too *hic* much!"

He ran back into the house and shut the door, trying in vain to silence the embarrassing hiccups.

"*hic* Aniki…*hic* please come back…"

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><p>Hmmm...the plot thickens... What could've happened to Satsuki that could've broken him so much that he's reduced to tears? The next chapters will tell, of course.<p>

Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto! **cries** But why? I would be so rich!

Now we'll find out more about the mystery that is Satsuki!

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><p>When Sasuke came back in a couple days, neck wrapped in bandages, Yui was still outside the door, staring up at it. He patted the rabbit's head and asked, "What are you doing out here, Yui? You scarcely leave Saki-chan's side."<p>

Yui looked up at him and decided it was time he revealed he could speak to Sasuke. *I tried to console him about having nightmares, but he refused and locked me out.*

The raven-haired boy paused for a moment, before accepting this situation for what it was. "That's the last thing you should've done! You know nothing about what we've lost!"

*I know it has something to do with the Uchiha genocide four years ago.*

"Did Saki-chan tell you that?"

*Inadvertently, yes. If you tell me about it, then perhaps the both of us can help him.*

"If you swear on your life never to tell anyone else."

*I swear.*

"Fine. Before the Uchiha genocide, we had parents, and an older brother. We were a happy family, until Aniki began to show excellence in the ninja field. Tou-san demanded that he keep up his training and enter the ANBU at age fifteen. Saki-chan and I admired him so much, but it was Saki-chan who loved him more than anything in the world, even more than our parents, from birth. Until a year before the incident, they were inseparable. They even slept in the same bed, Aniki holding him close. Saki-chan didn't doubt that he was the best big brother in the world, but he wasn't awake when the incident occurred."

*That explains the insomnia, but the nightmares? What is the incident that you speak of, Sasuke?*

"The Uchiha genocide, of course. I wasn't there when it happened, but I arrived soon after. I was at the tender age of eight, and I experienced a fate worse than death. I was told by Aniki to hate him, to live the life of a coward and become strong enough to kill him. He tortured me by showing me what had happened during the massacre. How every person died. He then left, and I had the responsibility of taking care of myself and Saki-chan, as well as twisting the truth so he would never know his beloved brother had killed all but three members of the Uchiha clan."

*Only one would fit that story. Itachi, genius and traitor to his own clan.*

"That's only what happened before. Once I told Saki-chan that Aniki was gone, he went into a state of shock. He spent a week in the hospital, not moving, not eating, not sleeping. He then spent the next six months having episodes of hysterics: screaming, crying, so much that he got sick, which landed him back into the hospital. He then went into a depression, which was almost worse than the shock, for another six months. He was finally taken in for mental and emotional care, and when he came out, he was happy again, or so it seemed. He refused to talk about Aniki, our childhood, or anything from before he'd gone into the correctional facility. It was also when he began switching personalities whenever he received a shock. I think that his memories were suppressed, if not locked away, by some technique or hypnosis. The other personalities, which are called Shiro and Kuro, are there to protect him from being emotionally scarred again. Shiro is the happy child that Saki-chan was, and Kuro is the adult that he will become. In the back of his mind he's still mourning, that's why he has nightmares. Unless the source of his pain returns, it will never get any better."

*What kind of correcting could cause him to develop Multiple Personality Disorder? I just hope it isn't irreversible.*

"I'd better get in there, just to check on him. He doesn't do very well by himself."

The near-teenage boy unlocked the door and found Satsuki on the floor, drawing on a notepad, humming contentedly. He came over and glanced down at the picture, only to jerk. "Shiro-chan…why did you come out?"

Shiro looked up and squealed. "Sasuke-nii! You're here!"

Sasuke grunted as he was hugged, the childlike boy jumping up and down in excitement. "Shiro-chan, let go of me…"

Shiro did as asked, and Yui stared in amazement. *So this is Shiro, the kid personality. Seems to idolize you.*

"Sasuke-nii, where'd you get the cute bunny from? It's so cute!"

Yui froze as he was grabbed and squeezed tight. *I can't breathe, Sasuke… Help me, or this little monster's gonna squeeze me to death!*

"It's yours, Shiro-chan. It's about time for your nap, anyway. Come on, let's lie down and relax."

"Okay!"

Ten minutes later Shiro was fast asleep. Yui wriggled out of his arms and flopped to the floor. *I thought I was gonna die…*

"This method works like a charm to get Shiro to change back. If everything is calm, either personality will recede. I haven't seen Kuro in a while, though. I wonder if he's disappeared."

*That might be a good thing.*

"I'd prefer him over Shiro-chan."

Sasuke waited for his brother to wake, fixing his favorite meal that they could afford on their budget. Yui sat at Satsuki's side, waiting patiently for his partner to wake. Finally the boy woke, but not the one he expected.

Yui was met with a completely foreign set of flat gray eyes. Kuro stretched and got up, seeing the meal on the table. He sat in front of it, then spoke. "Sasuke-sama, we shouldn't let this meal go to waste."

Sasuke turned, alarmed at the fact that Kuro was the one here instead of Satsuki. "Oh, Kuro-san. Yeah, we should eat."

Kuro took a morsel and tasted it, nodding. "This meal is satisfactory, Sasuke-sama. I see you've balanced it with what you could buy."

*What is he, a food critic? Only an adult of that profession would talk like that.*

"He's a critic in everything. I suppose if you train with him, you'll find that he will critique every single one of your methods. If you're a master, he'll have nothing but praise. But if he thinks you're an amateur—"

*I get it, I get it. Why did Satsuki have to form this kind of personality?*

Kuro looked up from his meal. "Sasuke-sama, who are you talking to? Is someone else here?"

Yui hopped up to the adultlike boy. *Yeah, he was speaking to me.*

Kuro nodded. "I see. You must be a ninja rabbit, right?"

*You're the first to say that. I'm your animal partner and mentor, so we should go and train now.*

"If that is what you wish."

Sasuke watched them go and observed, "At least Satsuki will get his rest if this continues."

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><p>Satsuki is lost? Where did he go? Will he come back?<p>

Further chapters will tell...

Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, even if I wish to oh so much!

Now here comes the days without the main OC! How weird is that that I would do so?

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><p>So the days went by in this fashion: Shiro woke in the morning, spent the morning active, took a nap midday, then Kuro woke and spent the evening active, then fell asleep at bedtime. Satsuki's teammates and jonin teacher were confused at first, but once Sasuke explained, they went along with it. The medical ninjas examined Satsuki and figured that he (the dominant personality) had gone into a dormant state because he'd suffered a nervous breakdown by himself. They suggested that he be watched for any signs of recovery and then drawn out of the back of his mind. Sasuke did so at home, while Yui and Satsuki's mentor did so the rest of the time.<p>

But as the Chunin Exam came around, Shiro and Kuro became excellent novice ninja, although Kuro was the better of the two because he was more adept at chakra control. When their team came into the examination room, they met nine of the other rookie genin, but Shiro went straight to Sasuke.

"Sasuke-nii!"

"Hi, Shiro-cha—Ow, ow, let go!"

Shiro had seized him, squeezing his chest hard. "Sasuke-nii, I haven't seen you in forever!"

"Let go, you're crushing my lungs…"

The white-eyed boy laughed, letting go but beaming. "I hope we can both do well in the exam, Sasuke-nii!"

Yui sat on the boy's shoulder, clinging for dear life because of how bouncy he was. *I doubt Shiro can pass the exam, but I'm positive that once Kuro comes out, he'll do just fine.*

Sasuke knew that, but could Shiro have enough skill to survive such a brutal test? But perhaps this would be the key to having Satsuki surface again. If Shiro and Kuro thought Satsuki was ready to face the world again, then Satsuki would appear and be his old self again. If only he knew what had been done to his brother to correct his emotional problems. He might have to do some digging to find out what had happened to Satsuki in there, but it couldn't be good for him, even if he'd been a mess before. He couldn't have been that far gone to have been forced to suppress himself, had he?

That would have to wait until the end of the Chunin Exam.

Shiro, happily unaware of the challenges ahead, chatted with the members of Satsuki's class. He knew all nine of them, but all nine save Sasuke were confused about the boy's sudden change in demeanor. When some of them were about to ask Sasuke, the test began. They found out it was a written test, Shiro's teammates despairing. Shiro was dumber than Naruto when it came to written tests, so he would more than likely fail this and bring his teammates down with him. He wouldn't know how to cheat successfully even if the answers were put in front of him.

Shiro doodled on his paper, making impressive pictures without even looking. Yui knew he could help by getting answers, but Shiro would make too much of a fuss over it, unlike Kuro. So he would leave the boy to his own devices for the duration of the first exam.

The boy actually dozed after a while, he was so bored. After a twenty-minute nap, his eyes opened to Kuro's flat gray. Before he could say a thing, Yui murmured, *Don't say anything. You're in the Chunin Exam, and you're supposed to complete this written test.*

Kuro looked down and saw the pictures, but ignored them and began writing. He'd studied a lot during the times he was out, so the questions were a little less difficult for him than the average genin. Yui watched him write with pride, his neat writing unlike Shiro's or even Satsuki's. He wrote like he had fifty years of practice, patient and flawless. He finished the test in less than ten minutes, before patting Yui's head.

*That's the student I trained. You did well, Kuro.*

Kuro made a small smile. He was a well-educated critic, so he started by keeping himself on par with his standards. If he couldn't stand up to criticism, he couldn't be critical to others. And when people did point out a fault, he tried his hardest to correct it.

He kept a level gaze at the proctor and his calmness helped him stay focused, so he refused to give up and bring his teammates down, unlike Shiro, who would've fallen to pieces at the pressure.

"Very well, here is the tenth question. Those who remain have passed!"

While everyone was confused, Yui got what this exam had been about. *It was about determination and the willingness to go into an unknown situation. That is clever of him to test that. I wonder what the next exam will test.*

As Kuro met up with his teammates, Naruto and Sakura stared at how he'd changed again. "Sasuke, your brother's acting weird. More than usual, not that I've seen him since we graduated," Naruto pointed out.

"You're imagining things, Naruto. Saki-chan is just the same as always," Sasuke countered, trying to seem like he was brushing it off as a mood swing.

Sakura shook her head. "Before the exam started, his eyes were white and he called you 'Sasuke-nii', but now he has flat gray eyes and his demeanor is more mature. Also I heard you call him by a different name, Sasuke-kun. You didn't call him 'Saki-chan'."

Kuro spotted Sasuke and came over. His two teammates followed, knowing the bond that Kuro had with Satsuki's twin. It was a strong one, because they'd known each other for quite some time. "I'm pleased you passed the first exam, Sasuke-sama. May we both pass the next one."

"I'm hoping the same."

Sakura and Naruto noticed what Kuro called Sasuke was very different from before, when Shiro had addressed him. Sakura stepped forward to speak to Kuro, but the mature boy turned away before she could say a thing, leading his team towards the second exam area.

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><p>When Kuro took a consent form, he signed immediately, before moving about to wait for his teammates to gather courage.<p>

"Kuro-san!" a familiar voice called.

He turned to see Rock Lee and caught the older boy's hand as his was grasped tightly and pumped. "Lee-san, it's good to see you after all this time."

"I fought your brother before the exam started. You seem to have more potential than he does."

"I've trained hard these past six months since I graduated. I believe that I can be at least on equal footing with him."

"Well, I hope I can fight you in a match! I would be honored by such a hard worker of the Uchiha clan!"

Kuro gave him a victory sign, while Lee returned with a thumbs-up and a glinting grin.

"It's a promise Lee-san, whether or not we meet in the Forest of Death."

Lee punched the air. "Hooray! I get the match I want no matter what! See you later, Kuro-san!"

He ran off, and Yui stared in shock. *You sure know how to pick your friends, Kuro. That one's the oddest, I'm sure.*

"But he's honorable, that's what's important."

"Kuro! Come on, we have to hand in our consent forms!"

He turned and walked with them behind a curtain, where Kuro handed the ninja there the consent forms and was handed a heaven scroll. He tucked it away, and they went to their assigned gate. At the signal, the gate sprung open, and they dashed in. They were only running for an hour when Kuro raised a hand for them to stop. They paused, and all three looked around. Kuro parted the foliage of a bush to find Team Seven on the other side. He nodded to his team and they passed on, not even letting the other team know they'd been spotted.

But, ten minutes later, kunai began to shoot through the trees at them, and they jumped apart to avoid the attack, Kuro getting kicked by one of the enemies and bound. He was hit over the head and passed out.

Kuro's teammates had bigger problems, when a ninja disguised as him approached them.

"What took you so long to meet up with us?"

"Oh, I tripped and hit my head. I was out for a while and only woke a few minutes ago."

The two nodded and stood, having been waiting while sitting. "Oh really? Just a few minutes ago?"

"Yeah, does that sound funny?"

The enemy ninja was tied up and searched. "Would you look at that, he has an earth scroll. Jackpot. You know absolutely nothing about our teammate, so impersonating him is very hard. I don't think you'll see him again, so we'll be going to find our teammate now."

A gleeful laugh had all three ninja looking up into the trees. Shiro waved to his comrades, jumping down. "You wouldn't guess what just happened! I did it all on my own!"

His teammates sweat-dropped. "You escaped, beat up everyone, and found us?"

The hyperactive ninja jerked, honestly surprised by their insight. "How did you guess?"

"You're kinda predictable, Shiro."

The pair turned to their captive. "He may be like that, but at least he's capable of taking care of himself. We'll just leave you here and head for the tower."

Shiro pouted a little at being unable to impress his team, but followed the duo as they made a beeline for the tower. "You guys, am I a burden to you?"

"Nah, you're not. You're just a little…like a kid, you know? You don't use many of your techniques very often and you're absentminded. What's gonna happen if we get attacked again, Shiro? We don't want you to get hurt."

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><p>I like how Shiro and Kuro turned out, what do you think? With them active more often, you can see more of their personalities and how their teammates treat them.<p>

Next time, more of the Chunin Exam!

Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto although I wish I did...**sigh**...

More of the Forest of Death! Yay!

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><p>Over the next several hours the group suffered subsequent attacks by other teams to capture their scrolls. Kuro and Shiro changed so much that there was a different battle for them each time. Kuro panted, wiping his face of sweat. "I don't know how much more of this I can take. This situation seems to get grimmer the closer we get to the tower."<p>

"I thought you were skilled, Kuro! Why haven't you been using your awesome ninjutsu?"

"Can't."

"What?"

"I can't seem to draw my chakra out. It's strange, but if we pass the exam, I might just have to throw in the towel."

*Why didn't you tell me this before, Kuro? I would've covered for you more often!* Yui yelled.

Kuro shook his head.

"Don't give up, Kuro! We'll pass together, promise!"

"If that's what you want."

They passed the second exam, but Kuro seemed to have a far-off look and was quiet, more so than usual. He didn't notice as two genin, one of his teammates included, quit. His eyes glazed over as he watched the preliminaries. But when his turn came, he came down with little emotion on his face.

Sasuke, who'd been watching, yelled, "Saki-chan! Now's your chance!"

The boy jerked, and a yin-yang appeared under his feet and in his eyes, before the orbs closed, and a bright light surrounded him. When the light dimmed, his eyes opened, a black that almost seemed foreign after Shiro and Kuro being the ones present. He realized he was in a match and blocked his opponent's attack, his body moving fluidly before he pinned the other genin, the boy whimpering his defeat.

"I…I give up…"

Satsuki blinked and looked around, seeing the eyes on him. "Where…am I? I don't remember this place…"

*Satsuki, I'll explain later. Now get to the balcony, the next and final match is going to start.*

"Oh, okay."

He walked up to the platform and placed his hand in his hair, scratching his scalp. What had happened here that he was in a place he didn't know of? It was baffling, to say the least.

He looked up when a hand patted his head. He saw his mentor at his side. "Good job, Satsuki. It must be confusing, but I'll just say that you've been sleeping for a long time."

"Yes…" Satsuki whispered.

Sasuke's match was last, so Satsuki gripped the railing of the balcony the whole time before jumping down to see his twin was faring after nearly getting defeated. "Sake-kun, are you all right?"

Sasuke met his brother's concerned gaze and nodded. "I should be fine, Saki-chan. I'm just glad you're awake."

At the other's weary smile, Satsuki knew it was best not to make too much of a fuss about his brother's condition. "Sake-kun, I hope we can talk some before the Chunin Exam is over. I seem to have a large gap in my memory."

Sasuke raised a hand and placed it on his brother's head. "I would like nothing more, Saki-chan."

He was taken by his jonin teacher and the preliminaries were concluded. The remaining genin picked a number and Satsuki discovered that he was matched against Sasuke right off the bat.

*This is something you've wanted since the beginning, Satsuki. Relish in it and train as hard as you can in the meantime.*

Satsuki nodded.

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><p>A rather short chapter considering it covered the rest of the Forest of Death and the prelims...but that's how I wrote it, my apologies to those who wanted an action-packed chapter.<p>

Please review!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Now, we go on to the end of Satsuki's training period!

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><p>Satsuki beat himself up over his training so much that he didn't expect to have such potent results. He nearly passed out five days before the third exam was to begin, covered in cuts and bruises. He stumbled upon some hot springs, kneeling down next to them. He sighed, Yui assessing his condition.<p>

*You should rest a little before getting to the hospital. I wouldn't be surprised if you'll have to sneak out just to get to your match. If you defeat your brother, Neji or Naruto will be next, then more likely than not Gaara. You have a tough set of fights in front of you, that much is certain.*

"Satsuki! Is that you?"

He looked to see Naruto with a large man with red stripes down his cheeks and a wild mane of white hair. Yui flattened his ears a little, but didn't do anything.

"Morning Naruto," Satsuki greeted, voice impotent from his weariness.

"What are you doing here? You look like you were beat up bad by somebody."

"I'm just resting a little before getting to the hospital. It shouldn't take too long."

The blonde boy looked up at the man, worried for his former classmate. "Hey Ero-sennin, you think we can spare some time to bring him to the hospital? He's one of the finalists for the third exam."

*He…calls that man "Ero-sennin"? I haven't been so close to laughing in my entire life!*

Satsuki had to agree with Yui's comment, but that was how Naruto was. He would've laughed but didn't have the strength.

"I think we have time to drop him off, but after that, back to your training!" the man allowed.

"Yes, sir!" Naruto agreed, saluting.

Satsuki winced as he was lifted and then carried to the hospital. He was set down in front of the desk and the nurse behind it gasped.

"Oh dear! We should get you to a doctor right away!"

He turned to thank Naruto, but noticed that the boy and his mentor were gone already. He smiled and didn't resist as he was led into a room and two doctors healed him.

"Young man, who was your mentor? Not only have you almost exhausted your chakra, but some of these bruises are so deep in your muscles that some of your bones are nearly broken, the fractures are so wide."

"I had special training and didn't rest very much. My mentor left after the training was completed," the Uchiha boy murmured.

"So the person that carried you in wasn't your mentor?"

"No, just someone kind enough to bring me here."

"You'll have to be on strict bed rest for at least a week to get all your injuries healed. There's only so much we can do right now. We'll put splints and bandages where the wounds are still healing, but you _must_ stay in bed."

"Okay."

*So you _will_ have to sneak out for your match. You think you'll be mostly up to speed by then? I didn't teach you to move faster for it to be wasted by your injuries to slow you down.*

The doctors left after making sure Satsuki was comfortable. He lay there, sighing. "I think four days is all the rest I'll need to be mostly healed. After the exam I should rest more, though."

*That would be best.*

* * *

><p>Next chapter, the third exam! Look forward to it!<p>

Please review!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or else I'd mess it up more than it is! Everyone would hate me!

So here's the start of the third exam for you! I hope you like it!

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><p>The day of the exam came and Satsuki sat up, wincing as his muscles screamed at him to stay still. He jumped out the window to the ground, gritting his teeth to try to not yelp.<p>

*You're better at stealth than this! Silent as an owl's wings on a moonless night!*

"I usually am, Yui. The deepest of wounds are still bugging me a little," Satsuki whispered loudly. "And you're sitting on my _bad_ shoulder, need I remind you."

*I'm just helping you with the healing process.* Yui's ears twitched. *Shh! Someone's coming!*

The pre-teen boy ducked under some bushes and saw a nurse come into his room. She looked around, then out his window. "It says here that he's supposed to be on strict bed rest, so why is he gone? Did he get released early and I wasn't informed? Someone must've wanted to air the room out, too. I'd better check with the doctors handling him to make sure."

When she left, Satsuki made a beeline for the stadium where the third exam was to be held. He faltered every few steps because of his injuries, but didn't stop completely. At least he didn't limp horribly like before. His splints and bandages weren't visible, covered by his new outfit, since his old one had been torn to shreds during his grueling training.

*Move it, Satsuki! We don't have much time left!*

"I know, I'm going as fast as I can, Yui. Overextending myself wouldn't be wise right now."

The ninja waiting at the entrance noticed him as he half-dashed, half-limped. They waved him in and he nodded. When he entered the arena, the other finalists turned to see who had done so. Naruto brightened, waving.

"Satsuki! You got out in time!"

"Thank you for the warm welcome, Naruto."

He looked up at the balconies above the arena, but then noticed, as the Sandaime Hokage announced for the exam to begin, that his twin wasn't present. He blinked and looked around subtly as he followed the others to the waiting area that overlooked the main arena closer than the balconies. He relaxed his muscles to keep the stress off them until his match came.

*I noticed as well that Sasuke isn't here. He isn't one to be late, more so since it's the Chunin Exam. Something important must be holding him up.*

Satsuki nodded. "Sake-kun knows his priorities. If he's late, I'll win by default. He would never want that in a million years."

* * *

><p>Naruto's match against Neji was spectacular, proving that guts was a key point of winning a match. Satsuki applauded, then tensed as he looked around, seeing that Sasuke hadn't arrived yet. "Where is he?"<p>

*Don't be so anxious, it might make you strain your injuries.*

"I know."

His match was postponed, Kankuro surrendered to Shino, Shikamaru nearly beat Temari, then Temari lost against Gaara. By this point Satsuki was clenching his hands together, shaking in anxiety. Yui sniffed and looked at the boy's left arm.

*Satsuki, calm down _right now_! Your left bicep is starting to hemorrhage under the pressure!*

Satsuki sucked in a breath through his teeth, turning away to mop up the blood. He put on a new bandage on the wound that bled anew, pulling his sleeve down just as Naruto and Shikamaru came up. Naruto grinned at him, patting his shoulder.

"You excited to be next? I just hope Sasuke gets here or I'll kick his butt when I find him!"

"I am, since I've wanted to face him for a long time now."

"If you beat him, you'll have to fight me next."

"Yes, I know. And if I beat you, I'll have to fight Gaara."

Naruto shivered. "He's someone that won't hesitate to kill you during a match. Don't let his sand catch you, or else you'll end up like Bushy Eyebrows."

Satsuki tilted his head, confused. Yui answered his unsaid question. *Rock Lee, the first who fought Gaara, during the preliminaries. His left arm and leg were crushed by the sand that Gaara fights with.*

Suddenly a whirlwind of leaves appeared, and Sasuke appeared with his master. What Satsuki noticed was that his brother wore the exact same outfit he did, save for the wrappings were on his right arm, instead of left.

*Interesting, _very_ interesting.*

Satsuki descended the stairs, his steps careful so he didn't trip. He entered the arena and came up to his twin. "I thought you'd never come, Sake-kun."

Sasuke smirked. "Heh. I wouldn't miss fighting you for the world. I want to know how Yui trained you, Saki-chan."

The referee raised his hands to each of them. "If you're ready, Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Satsuki, you may begin."

Satsuki started by setting Yui on the ground. "I don't need you for this match, so you watch. I won't disappoint you, even if I lose."

*I'll hold you to that.*

While Sasuke got into his normal fighting stance, Satsuki sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, preparing himself and centering his core. He spread his hands before clenching them, nearly in a helpless position. Sasuke blinked in confusion, before charging, knowing that Satsuki was waiting. He threw a punch with his unwrapped hand, aiming for his brother's face. Satsuki blocked with his bare arm, before they started throwing a flurry of punches and kicks. Both their speed had improved greatly in a month, and they drew kunai simultaneously, clashing before flipping back and throwing the weapons, which met halfway and bounced off each other. They then did hand signs in rapid succession.

"Fire style: Blazing Fireball!"

Again, the attacks met in the middle and canceled out. Satsuki read his brother's movements and copied, but knew that Sasuke wouldn't be satisfied with just that. But did he have enough chakra? He would have to try.

"Fire style: Mythical Phoenix Flame!"

A great stream of swirling fire came from his lips, and Sasuke gasped before dodging the attack. He looked up at Satsuki and smirked, before he jumped up the wall, his eyes becoming Sharingan.

*Satsuki! You'll have to use it! Hurry!*

The boy nodded and activated his own Sharingan, but his were with three dots, not just two. He saw the signs Sasuke did, before he copied, but with his left hand. Lightning gathered in his cupped palm, before he ran at his brother at high speed, his technique boring a furrow in the ground. At the very last second, he made a slight adjustment to his path, striking his brother across the side, making him scream and collapse, both their techniques shutting off. Satsuki fell on his knees, staring at the damage this new technique had caused.

Yui hopped over to him and onto his good shoulder. *Well done, Satsuki. For now, you've surpassed your twin.*

Satsuki gasped when a hand was laid on his bad shoulder. He looked up to see Sasuke's teacher, Kakashi Hatake, looking down at him.

"It's very interesting that you copied Chidori so well, and with the opposite hand as well. With your current level of chakra, three shots are all you'll have. Do not attempt a fourth or your chakra will drop to zero, and you'll die or at least suffer from the side affects. It's a technique that turns your arm into a sword that can cut anything."

"Yes, I'll remember."

"You did quite a number on him, but he should be all right with treatment. Now you should rest a little before your next match starts."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

><p>Well, that turned out differently just because of one character addition. Well, the next set of matches will be in the next chapter, so be prepared!<p>

Please review!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I never will own Naruto, so quit asking! :(

Oops, I guess the Chunin Exam did end...eep... Sorry everyone who was expecting more! I will post two chapters for your reading!

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><p>Just after the Chunin Exam was over, Satsuki laid in a hospital bed, suffering from a fever that puzzled the medical ninja who tried to cure him. Nothing they did was any help, so they said it was only a matter of time before it took him. Sasuke was already mourning for the loss of his twin, although Yui never left the boy's side, hoping beyond all hope that his partner and student might be spared.<p>

*Satsuki, you just came back, don't leave your brother now. He's already losing it. If you die, it will consume him. You're the only family he loves left.*

Satsuki struggled a little before moaning, "So hot…Aniki…"

Yui sighed. Satsuki would always call out to Itachi in his sleep, no matter how close he was to Sasuke. *Oh, Satsuki…*

Naruto and Sakura visited daily, Sakura bringing a daffodil each time. It was then they came in, Sakura going to the nightstand and putting the flower in the vase. Naruto patted Yui's head, before murmuring, "You're so loyal rabbit, even if Satsuki is so sick."

Sakura put her hand on Satsuki's forehead. She winced at the heat, before shaking her head. "I don't understand why this fever keeps rising, nothing works. Sasuke-kun is already acting like he's dead…"

"But he's not, Sakura-chan! We have to keep giving Satsuki encouragement by visiting him! I'm not gonna give up!"

"Neither will I, Naruto."

They left after visiting fruitlessly for an hour, Yui looking out the window. *I hope, even if the odds are against me, that Satsuki will live. Whoever, I don't care, come and cure my best student and friend. He means everything in the world to his twin. If he perishes, everything will fall apart for the last of the Uchiha clan.*

He laid his head on his paws and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Someone laid a hand on Satsuki's forehead. The boy groaned and leaned into the coolness of the hand.<p>

"What are we doing in this hospital? The kid's obviously done for."

The shorter of the two looked at his taller companion. "If you haven't noticed, the cause of his raging fever is that his chakra flow has been tampered with in several minute ways. I'll have to correct it, then he should recover."

"What's this kid to you, Itachi? You've never cared about anything."

"This is my youngest brother, Satsuki."

"So you're not the last Uchiha after all. Are you bringing him with us? This isn't the right place for you to do such a precise technique."

Itachi lifted his brother, his ring with the kanji "crimson" glinting in the sunset. "Let's go, Kisame."

"You're gonna walk through Konohagakure no Sato lugging that kid who's one of their ninja? Sure, he isn't wearing a forehead protector or anything else that points to that, but the symbol on the back of his shirt would give any of the local ninja a clue that you were kidnapping him," Kisame pointed out.

"I'm not kidnapping him, and he won't struggle against me once he regains consciousness."

"Why do you say that?"

"He's ignorant to the truth."

"That you wiped out the Uchiha clan?"

"Precisely, and I'll kill you if you tell him."

"Like you could."

They jumped out the window, heading out of the village.

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><p>Just moments after, Yui woke, finding Satsuki was gone. *Satsuki…he couldn't have recovered so quickly and the doctors would've woken me if he'd suddenly passed away—wait.* He sniffed and jumped off the bed. He placed his nose on the floor, before his ears shot straight up. *These scents…they aren't any ninja I know. I have to get Sasuke or I might lose the trail. I now have only one solution.*<p>

He jumped back onto the bed and dropped out the window, thankful it was on the first floor. He went to Sasuke's home he shared with his twin, going through an open door to find the boy sitting at the kitchen table, head in his hands.

*Sasuke!*

When there was no response, he came over and jumped on the Uchiha's lap. *Uchiha Sasuke, I'm talking to you!*

"Leave me be. I don't want to know if Saki-chan is dead now."

*I'm not here for that, you idiot! Satsuki's been kidnapped by enemy ninja!*

At that was said, Sasuke's head snapped up. "_What_?"

*You heard me. I need you to come with me to recover him! Grab your gear and let's go!*

Sasuke got up and ran into his room before coming out again in full gear. He slipped on his sandals as he rushed out the door after Yui.

* * *

><p>Itachi and Kisame kept a fast pace through the streets, Satsuki reacting poorly to the movement. A deep flush settled in his cheeks, the rest of his skin pallid. A slick of sweat had formed on his skin, his hair damp from the perspiration. His breathing had also become heavy as his body tried to cool itself. Itachi noticed these changes and set his pace at just short of a jog. "He's becoming worse. We have to hurry or he might die before we can get to a spot that I can administer treatment."<p>

"This kid sure is frail for an Uchiha. I thought you all had strong bodies from birth."

"No, the fever is just that severe. He's only twelve years old, as well."

"Even like this, he's a cute kid. His hair is the exact same color as yours, but other than that, he's much less severe-looking."

"Of course. He takes after our mother in every way save the color of his hair. I also sense amid the turmoil that is his chakra is a power sleeping inside him. As I balance his chakra, I'll have to figure out what it is."

Kisame chuckled. "Sounds like fun. I just wanna pinch his cheek, even if he's not a sibling of mine." **A/N: Love doing Kisame this way! Yay for big brother Kisame! lol**

"Try it when you can, I doubt he'll let anyone besides me do so after he wakes. I didn't know you had a soft side, Kisame."

"I didn't know you did, either."

"I only have one exception."

Just as Kisame's fingers brushed Satsuki's cheek, the boy turned away, putting an arm around his brother's neck and murmuring, "So hot, Aniki… Make it stop…"

"This kid is sure more than just naïve, he's downright pure and loving. He loves you even if he's unconscious and near death. Is he that close to you?"

"He's adored me since birth."

"I can see why you'd want to protect his innocence. It's a surprise that he didn't find out in the nearly five years since you left Konohagakure no Sato and joined the Akatsuki."

"His twin probably saw to that."

"He has a twin?"

"Fraternal, although they look very similar. Those two have a close bond as well, only because they were together as they grew up."

"I doubt that boy is as cute because he knows about what you did. Probably matured to keep this one happy."

"I don't have any doubts about that. He has a sure knowledge that I was the cause of the Uchiha genocide. He was there just as I had finished, and I showed him through Tsukuyomi."

"Tortured your least favorite, eh? You're a sick man, Itachi."

"It was necessary."

"I wonder how traumatized this innocent one would've been."

"Much more, to the point of death, although his emotional scars were inevitable. He loved me more than our mother."

"You think he still does?"

"We'll find out when he wakes."

* * *

><p>Sasuke sprinted after Yui, the rabbit hot on the kidnappers' trail. "Where are they going, Yui? This path is rather roundabout!"<p>

*They're heading out of Konohagakure no Sato! Hurry, we might catch them before they leave!*

They both lengthened their stride and sped down the streets, the sun sinking lower and lower on the horizon.

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><p>Just as twilight covered the land, the pair of Akatsuki stopped. "This should be far enough. Keep watch while I'm busy, just in case anyone's following us, Kisame."<p>

"You got it."

Itachi laid his sibling gently on the ground and placed his hands over the boy's heart. Chakra began flowing from his hands as he closed his eyes in concentration. He knew the exact flow of his brother's chakra, but any more or less could kill him at this point. He was hours from his body giving out, but it might take that long to correct the problem, since he was no medical ninja.

While he was doing so, Satsuki's hand came up, clutching his brother's forearm. "Aniki…fire…so hot…please…stop…it…"

"How does he know it's you?" Kisame asked, although he kept his guard up.

"He doesn't. He's unconscious from the fever, he must be dreaming or having hallucinations because of the heat."

"Then why is he calling out to you, specifically?"

"I already told you."

"Hmph."

* * *

><p>Sasuke and Yui reached the part of the forest where the two Akatsuki were, and the Uchiha boy felt rage boiling up inside him when he laid eyes on his older brother. He was bending over <em>Satsuki<em>, doing who-knows-what to him!

*Sasuke, calm yourself. Running in with no plan won't do anything but get you killed, you know that. Now listen to me. I'll distract his partner while you deal with Itachi. We will do this rationally and like real ninja. I'll go first and you'll follow.*

Yui rushed out, leaping for the sharklike man's face. Sasuke moved around him, but a blow to his midsection threw him back before his neck was grabbed and he was hoisted into the air.

"Hey lookee here, Itachi! I caught a brat and a rat!" the enormous Akatsuki crowed.

Itachi didn't move, but stated, "So you have."

"What should I do with them?"

"Anything for now, as long as you don't permanently injure the boy."

"Aniki…! Let Satsuki…go!" Sasuke yelled between gasps, writhing and clawing at the hand that constricted around his neck.

"Obviously if I'd left him alone, he would've died in that hospital. Now I need every last iota of concentration, so I'll let Kisame keep you at bay."

Kisame grinned and proceeded to beat the crud out of the boy and bunny. Itachi himself sought the balance of his brother's chakra, but it wasn't so easy when it had been so badly pushed askew. But he wouldn't give up until it was too late.

After nearly three hours, Sasuke laid on the ground, one of his thighbones broken from a particularly bad blow. Yui was so badly bruised and cut that he didn't move from the spot he'd fallen. Kisame chuckled at the pair's incompetence at being able to breach his defenses.

"Heh, this wasn't even a challenge. Itachi, I'm done playing with these two babies. Are you finished yet?"

Itachi opened his eyes, seeing Satsuki's face was regaining its normal color and his sleep was becoming natural. He lifted his sibling and spoke. "Yes, I am. Let's get going, Kisame."

Sasuke reached out futilely for his twin, before passing out.

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><p>Wow...if Kisame ever fought Sasuke, I'd bet it wouldn't go well, even when he was stronger. Yes, for all you Sasuke lovers, I didn't put in how much Kisame beat the crud out of him, but for three hours? Let's just say he's not moving for a while.<p>

Please review!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine so I lay no claim to it!

Sorry for the delay between the promised two chapters, the login screen broke and had to be fixed! Here's the promised chapter!

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><p>Satsuki woke to find himself resting against the trunk of a tree in the middle of the night. He saw the moon was half gone, so his eyes glowed, shining the yin-yang symbols in his eyes. Instead of surrendering to his two personalities, a new thing happened, since he was of age. A symbol, a yin-yang but made of white light, lit up under his feet as he stood. It swirled around and disappeared into his middle.<p>

Itachi, who had been resting nearby, saw the whole thing. He knew that his brother had power, but not of the Eternal Balance. Everyone had light and darkness in their soul, but he'd been born with this, as their parents had said. The last Uchiha to possess it has been during the ninja clan wars, before Konohagakure no Sato had been formed. A strange power was bestowed upon their ancestor, although it had never come to fruition, because he'd been killed in battle. But he'd never known what had triggered it. The last half moon, just like a yin-yang.

What formed from the joining of light and darkness? He would protect his younger brother so he could find out. If any enemies of the Uchiha found out that the process had begun for a wielder of the Eternal Balance, he would be killed and his body experimented on. Some said that a demon was summoned at the time of fruition. Some said it was an angel. Only ancient records (which had been destroyed during the first war) told what came to be.

The Akatsuki stood and slowly approached his brother. Satsuki lowered his eyes and they fell on Itachi. At first he froze, unsure what was going on, before something broke inside of him and he realized his beloved brother stood before him.

"Aniki!"

Itachi received his hug, rubbing his hand through the boy's messy hair. "It's been nearly five years, Satsuki-chan. You've grown quite a bit."

"Aniki, Aniki, Aniki!"

"What are you so happy about?"

"I didn't know where you were all this time, I missed you so much! What happened that you had to leave? You and everyone else were just gone!"

"I had to leave for a while. Everything was in turmoil and I had to escape so I wouldn't get hurt."

"Why didn't you take Sake-kun and me with you?"

"I couldn't. Why do you call him 'Sake-kun'?"

Satsuki smiled, a chuckle escaping him. "You don't remember?"

"I guess not."

"You gave him sake once and he thought it was water and got drunk. He slept for most of the day because of the hangover. He giggled for the most part when he was awake."

"Oh, that's why. Why does he call you 'Saki-chan'?"

"Because I'm younger and because it rhymes with 'Sake-kun'."

"It doesn't, really."

"Awww, I thought it did."

Itachi smiled at his brother's pout. "Satsuki-chan, did you know that you have a special power?"

"Special power? What special power? I just have normal Uchiha techniques."

The older of the two wondered why no one had told his youngest brother about what he held in his body. "You have a special chakra called 'Eternal Balance', half light, half dark. When you use your normal chakra, it's a bit of one or the other. Being able to access both is difficult to master. They are in perfect proportion to each other, like yin and yang."

"Like this pendant?" Satsuki held up his bracelet.

"Yes, just like that. Somewhere on your body that same symbol is branded on you. When your power awakens, it appears in your eyes and around you. Now that you know about it, you might be able to access it consciously, but not tonight. Your body is still recovering from your chakra being tampered with."

"Okay, Aniki. Is that why I was asleep and felt like I was being burned alive?"

"Yes. I was able to correct the problem before your body gave out."

"Oh. Thank you for saving my life, Aniki. I love you."

"I love you too, Satsuki-chan."

* * *

><p>Satsuki slept with his arms wrapped tight around his brother the whole night, and Itachi stroked the boy's hair, soothing him. Kisame grinned as he stepped out of the shadows.<p>

"You weren't kidding when you said he adores you. How did he survive so long with you absent? He's stuck to you like you're joined at the hip."

"That's what I don't understand. His world should've shattered when I had to leave. Something must've been done so he didn't fall to pieces, not even his twin could've prevented it. I was the center of Satsuki-chan's universe. We may just have to do some digging in Konohagakure no Sato to find out."

"We're going back _again_? You sure have suicidal tendencies."

"I'll do anything for my favorite brother, even give my life."

"I doubt he'd like hearing you say that."

"No, I suppose not."

* * *

><p>The next chapter will have the information that was sought by all you readers! What caused Satsuki's sudden lapse into Multiple Personality Disorder? Will it stop now that Itachi has returned? That will be found out soon!<p>

Please review!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, not now or ever!

After the sweet reunion, what will happen now?

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><p>Satsuki woke in the morning, looking up to see Itachi in the same position.<p>

"Good morning, Satsuki-chan. Did you sleep well?"

"Better than I have in a while Aniki, even if I slept on the hard ground instead of a bed."

"Well lookee here, the kid's finally awake!" a voice Satsuki didn't recognize greeted.

The twelve-year-old yelped, scrambling behind his elder brother to hide. He peeked out to see a large sharklike man holding a sword wrapped in a cloth over his shoulder, wearing the same cloak that was black with red clouds as Itachi did.

"Kisame, don't startle him like that. That wasn't the best first impression you could've given," Itachi reprimanded.

"Sorry, didn't know he was like that. Hey Kid, I was just being friendly to you. You look more like Itachi than that other brat that followed us, especially the hair and eyes."

Satsuki nodded and took a breath to calm his racing heart. "I'm sorry too, Kisame-san. I'm Uchiha Satsuki."

Kisame gave him a hard pat on the head. "It's good to meet you, but I think I'll just call you 'Kid', and drop the 'san', since I'm your brother's partner."

"You're traveling together?"

"We're part of the same group of ninja."

"Aniki, you're not a Konoha ninja anymore?"

Itachi shook his head. "I left and joined a group called the Akatsuki, since I'd lost my place in the village because of my absence. This group fits me better, anyway."

"Okay. Kisame, are you and Aniki good partners?"

"We get along better than anyone else in the Akatsuki, if that's what you mean," Kisame affirmed, snorting at the thought. "Most of the others work together because they have to. If our leader didn't keep them in line, we wouldn't have lasted this long as a group. It was kinda funny at first, but it's been going on so long that it's like hearing the same record over and over again, so Itachi and I usually stay out of it because two of them are idiots anyway."

"Aniki, will I meet any of them someday?"

Both Itachi and Kisame shook their heads. "Satsuki-chan, if you _ever_ encountered any of them, they'll kill you on the spot. Most of them don't stop to think about who they've met, even if they might be an ally, especially Hidan."

"Hidan? He sounds rather short-tempered."

"That and he's a devout Jashinist, a religion that is based around slaughtering people," Kisame added. "Also he enjoys fighting and causing people pain. He's not someone either of us like."

"He must be perfect for assassinations."

"Yes, he is, but most we encounter in our assignments we _can't_ kill, so he gets frustrated and cusses up a storm. The only person he could pair up with was Kakuzu."

"Kakuzu?"

By this time they were walking, Itachi carrying his brother on his hip so he wouldn't overwork his weakened body and damage his feet, which had no shoes to cover them. It looked a little odd for a nineteen-year-old to carry his twelve-year-old sibling that way, but it had to be done. Not that Satsuki minded in the least, since it felt familiar.

"Yeah, Kakuzu is worse than Hidan temper-wise. If you even so much as look at him the wrong way, he'll kill you. Only because Hidan is immortal has he been able to last this long. They're the perfect pair skill-wise, but they loathe each other."

Satsuki's eyes widened in fear and fascination.

Kisame went on, not needing anymore prompts to keep going. "Sasori has a short temper if he's kept waiting, so don't be late if you're meeting with him, and Deidara'll kill you if you challenge him. Zetsu keeps mostly to himself, so I don't really know his temperament. Konan's only violent if ordered, and our leader, Pain, is cooler than a cucumber. Nothing ruffles his feathers, so he's the perfect one to lead our group."

"You only have nine in your group? Isn't that a little on the small side when it comes to a ninja gathering?"

"We're all very powerful, Kid. Nine members are more than enough. That's why we work singly or in pairs."

"Oh, I see."

* * *

><p>They took a winding path to Konohagakure no Sato, so that Satsuki was better by the time they reached the hidden village. That took nearly a month, and by then Itachi had purchased a pair of black ninja sandals and matching cloak for his younger brother to wear. The two Akatsuki wore wide straw hats to hide their faces so they wouldn't get recognized right away. As they entered the village, Satsuki's step grew light and carefree, since he didn't know the truth to why he needed a disguise. They walked with Itachi leading, silent until they got to the correctional facility, which was called "Konoha Mental Hospital". At the sight of the place, Satsuki froze in his tracks. Kisame stopped and placed his hand in the center of the boy's shoulder blades.<p>

"Hey Kid, you okay?"

Satsuki's eyes quivered. "No…don't make me go back in there… They make me forget Aniki… They force me to take awful things that make me pass out or get sick… Needles…big needles…stabbing me all over…"

"Itachi, what should we do? He's frozen up."

Itachi stopped and turned to the pair. "I can proceed on my own. Cover his eyes and wait for me outside."

Satsuki whimpered all the way out as he was led away from his source of trauma. Kisame shook him a little and urged, "Snap out of it, Kid. It's not gonna happen again."

"No…don't take me there… Aniki…is gone…"

"Kid!"

Satsuki's eyes dilated before he passed out. Kisame caught him and lifted him up.

"This kid's a fainter if he's shocked. What a pain in the butt."

Itachi returned only five minutes later, holding a few scrolls. He saw Satsuki's limp form and didn't ask questions.

"So, what did they do to him?" Kisame asked.

The Uchiha Akatsuki opened a scroll. "His condition wasn't very stable when he went in. His twin reported that a week after I left he was unresponsive, almost comatose, then he began having 'episodes', crying, screaming, having fits for six months straight. Lastly, what he was brought in for, was that he suffered a deep depression for another six months before he was taken in for help.

"Once he got there, he was given all sorts of medicines, whether by mouth or through injection. He was a lab rat for nearly a year before they tried something that worked: memory suppression. They had to call in ANBU so that they could use hypnosis to make him forget most of his past, including the experiments. It wasn't perfect, he had 'episodes', whenever certain words were said that broke the technique momentarily, such as my name, what he called me or what I called him. Because of that, he was forced to 'suppress himself' until he recovered. His twin had to figure that out through trial and error, because he called Satsuki-chan what I called him, and Satsuki-chan called him 'Aniki' because he was older, thus the reason for their little nicknames. The trigger to fix this problem was my appearance. But a little later his twin reported that at the times Satsuki-chan 'suppressed' himself that they were called 'Shiro' and 'Kuro'. This last part is the only thing I don't understand."

Satsuki stirred, the white half of his bracelet flashing before he woke.

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><p>Shiro opened his white eyes to find he was being held by one scary-looking man, and another was looming over him. His face contorted with fear and a high-pitched scream escaped him as he scrambled away, before sprinting thirty feet and diving behind a boulder.<p>

"What the…heck just happened, Itachi?" the frightening man asked the other.

"I don't know, Kisame. He's never had this reaction before. Satsuki-chan, what's wrong?"

Shiro shook his head vigorously before squeaking, "Ano… Where's Sasuke-nii? Take me to Sasuke-nii!"

"This is weirding me out, Itachi. His voice is too high, he talks like he's a little kid, and look at his eyes…they've completely changed color! Are you sure he hasn't cracked from that shock he just suffered?"

Shiro repeated his previous action, if not more violently than before. "Ano… Who are—Kidnappers! SASUKE-NII!"

He sped off towards Konohagakure no Sato, his mind twisted in panic. He heard the "kidnappers" chasing him, before he was seized, flying into some bushes. His mouth was covered as he tried to scream again, his wide eyes spotting a pair of Konoha ninja looking around.

"Are you sure you heard something out here?"

"Yes, it sounded like a kid's scream. I'm sure someone's in trouble."

"But I can't find anything that points to a struggle or chase. Are you positive that it was kid? It could've been an animal."

"If it was, it must've in pain. Let's check our patrol route."

They left and Shiro struggled like a madman to try and get free, but he was hauled off until they were far enough away that no one would be able to hear him scream again.

"Keep a firm hold on him, Kisame," the dark man ordered. "Do you know who I am?"

Shiro shook his head, still trying to escape.

"This has to be one of the suppression techniques. Are you Kuro?"

The childlike personality shook his head again.

The dark man nodded. "Shiro, we're not going to hurt you. Calm down, please."

Shiro did just the opposite, he began hyperventilating and shaking so hard it seemed like he was having a seizure.

"I know we seem like kidnappers, but we're the ones taking care of you. I'm very sorry if we scared you, Shiro. I'll have Kisame let go of you if you promise not to scream or run away again."

Shiro's frightened eyes calmed a little at the notion of freedom.

"Do you promise?"

The boy nodded.

"Let him go, Kisame."

But the instant Shiro was freed, he made a beeline for Konohagakure no Sato, crying, "SASUKE-NII! SASUKE-NII! SASUKE-NII!"

In his flight, his hood flew back, just as he breached Konohagakure no Sato's gates. The chunin watching them saw him and called out, "Hey kid! What's your business that you look like the Boogie Man is chasing you?"

Shiro screeched to a halt and went over to them. "Is Sasuke-nii in the village right now?"

"He hasn't been assigned any missions at the moment, so he should be at home—"

"Thank you!"

Shiro almost vanished, he ran off so quickly.

"Hey, hey, HEY! Come back! Who are you, kid?"

"Uchiha!" was the faint reply.

Sasuke was stepping out of the house when he heard, "Sasuke-nii!" and was tackled to the ground, feeling wetness on his neck. He was very surprised to see Shiro on top of him, bawling. Tears gushed like fountains down his horrified face, making Sasuke aware that trouble might be around.

"Shiro-chan, what's gotten you so worked up?"

"Sasuke-nii, bad men kidnapped me and want to take me away again! Stop theeem!" he wailed, hugging him tighter.

Sasuke knew at once who his younger brother's white personality referred to. But if he wanted to protect Satsuki, he'd have to find powerful Jonin to help. Considering the speed of Itachi and his companion, he didn't have much time, if any at all. Retreating into the house would only worsen the situation, he needed to stay in the open. He pulled Shiro with him towards one of the busy streets, hearing the sound of bells that alerted him that they were close.

"Sasuke!"

"Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto and Sakura came running, waving to him. Sakura noticed first that Shiro was next to her crush. "Shiro-kun! You're back!"

"Hey there, buddy!" Naruto greeted, patting his shoulder. "It's good to see you're on your feet again!"

"Ano… Now is not a good time to talk, you two," Shiro murmured, his eyes quickly glancing back to the pair of Akatsuki who were gradually closing in on them.

"What's wrong, Shiro-kun? You look nervous," Sakura observed, noticing his jumpy stance.

"He's always nervous, Sakura-chan!" Naruto disagreed, brushing it off.

"No, he's not just nervous, he's frightened!"

"Who wouldn't be with all these people around, and he's antisocial on top of it!"

Shiro nearly shrieked when his wrist was grabbed, Itachi pulling him into a headlock. He squirmed, actually getting his teeth into the crook of his captor's elbow. He twisted and slipped out of his hold by pushing with his feet. He hid behind Sasuke, who patted his head.

"Aniki, did I say that Shiro-chan is an excellent escape artist?"

Sakura and Naruto jerked, staring at the oldest Uchiha. "Aniki?"

"Shiro is an entity that was caused by the memory suppression," Itachi replied, slipping his injured arm out of its sleeve and resting his hand in the opening of his cloak. "An unnatural anomaly of the light chakra, created by a mixture of stress from my disappearance and the torture he experienced in that mental hospital. I don't doubt that it protects him from further stress, but now it's getting in the way of his happiness."

"He doesn't know what you did! What you're still doing! I could ruin all that by telling him!"

"And leave him a nervous wreck that he was after I left? You're a fool to think he could survive that a second time."

Sasuke yelled in rage and his Chidori sparked alive in his hand. He charged, thrusting his right hand forward. He gasped as his wrist was caught and the lightning technique fizzed into non-existence. Itachi stared down at him, his Sharingan active.

"Your techniques are useless before my eyes."

Shiro squeezed his eyes shut as the sound of snapping bones rang out. Naruto and Sakura watched in shock. Sasuke vocalized his agony, and Shiro blacked out, unable to take anymore.

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><p>Sasuke's reasons for fighting Itachi are different this time, but he still wants revenge. Poor Shiro...he's so innocent and has no clue what's happening...<p>

Please review!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto! *sigh* I sooo wish I did, though...

After Shiro passed out, what'll think happened next? Three personalities aren't so bad to keep track of, right? I once watched an anime that had a girl that switched through five different personalities, and even with several appearances I couldn't remember all their names...argh...

Thanks to everyone who's read this so far, I love your reviews!

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><p>Satsuki woke as Itachi carried him along an unknown road. Kisame walked next to him.<p>

"How are you doing, Kid? Feeling better?" the latter asked.

"Yes, thanks for asking. Where are we?"

"Out of Fire Country, in the Land of Birds," Itachi murmured.

"So far away? Why?"

"We needed to put some distance between us and Konohagakure no Sato. Kisame and I caused quite a stir inside the village."

Kisame tilted his head and nodded. "Itachi, we need to head to the nearest hideout, we have a meeting."

Itachi nodded and the pair turned around and headed back where they came.

* * *

><p>It took them nearly a week to get to the designated place, entering a hidden tunnel disguised with a genjutsu. There were murmurs heard immediately while the trio walked to the end of the tunnel into a large cavern. Satsuki instantly hid behind his brother, peeking out at the extreme edge of his cloak.<p>

"You two are ****ing late!" Hidan yelled. "The rest of us have been waiting for three ****ing hours!"

"Shut up, Hidan," Kakuzu growled.

"**** it, now Sasori's gonna have a hissy fit over this too, hm," Deidara lamented.

"You'd better have a good reason for being late, Kisame, Itachi," Sasori hissed. "Or I might just kill you right here."

All their complaints stopped when Pain raised a hand. He looked towards the two and asked, "What kept you?"

"We were in the Land of Birds when you called us here and we have an extra, younger companion with us," Itachi explained.

"What the **** has gotten into your ****ed up brain?" Hidan shouted. "We don't need anymore ****ing members!"

"Whoever it is might be a spy!" Deidara agreed.

"Indeed," Pain conceded. "Who is it that you've brought with you? Another to serve Akatsuki? Or a possible spy?"

Kisame snorted. "Heh, nothing like that. The kid's just tagging along for his own sanity's sake."

He took Satsuki by the underarms and lifted him, the teen freezing like a statue as he was scrutinized by the seven other Akatsuki. Deidara snickered and Hidan joined him. Zetsu spoke for the first time.

"He looks harmless, but his chakra levels are quite high. He seems to have an equal amount of two different chakras at the same time. He's no ordinary boy."

Pain and Konan gave him the most inquisitive glances. It was the leader of the Akatsuki who asked, "Does this 'tag-along' have a name, Itachi?"

"Uchiha…Satsuki…" the twenty-year-old revealed.

Deidara smirked, gazing at the boy with even more interest than before. Satsuki shied away, pulling himself partially towards Itachi, although Kisame was still holding him.

"You may keep him with you, but unless he intends to join us, he cannot hear any of our plans."

Itachi nodded and extracted his brother from Kisame's grasp and cupped his hands over the teen's ears. All sounds cut out, and Satsuki used this time to concentrate on the chakras Itachi had told him about. He could sense them, perfectly balanced in his chakra network. He felt them encircling his middle, although why, he didn't know. Using his will, he tried to access them at once, combine them into the chakra he was used to. They seemed reluctant to, but with some urging, they began swirling around each other before joining in an abundance of chakra surging through his body.

His little training session didn't go unnoticed by any of the Akatsuki, but with one look from Pain, they didn't say anything.

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><p>Introducing the rest of the Akatsuki (at least most of them) so I take no blame for spoilers to the newbie Naruto readers!<p>

Please review!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own anything about the story or plot of Naruto!

Now we know a little more about Satsuki's abilities, but what else will come of it?

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><p>Satsuki trained his body and stamina so that he could do better combinations with his newly discovered chakra abilities. He tried many extreme poses, some that worked, some that didn't. It took him a long time to get results, but he worked hard every day.<p>

He didn't notice at first, but with every passing day, a pair of yin-yang symbols was forming on his stomach and mid-back. He became aware of the fact that they were at the exact point where the chakras were encircling something. It seemed to materialize faster the more he used the chakras in his body. Also, a bump was growing from the center of each mark.

It got so bad that he took to bathing alone, insisting that Itachi let him have this time to himself. During one of these solitary baths, he was washing his hair when the door slid open. His eyes popped open, only for soap to get in them. He winced, dunking his head under the surface of the water so he could get all the suds out. He was very aware when someone sat in the tub with him. He stayed under, trying to hide, but knew it was useless. He came back up with a gasp, shaking his head so the flowing water flew from his eyes.

"For a second I thought you were drowning yourself, hm."

Of all the people to be at headquarters and want to bathe the same time he did, it had to be _Deidara_. He glanced at the blonde-haired Akatsuki who leaned back in the tub, the epitome of ease while keeping his uncovered eye on him. He'd known from the start that Deidara wasn't to be alone with, even without weapons, especially because he'd taken special interest in him, ever since he'd learned his name.

"I thought I'd said I wanted to bathe alone for now," Satsuki muttered, although it was certain that Deidara wouldn't care, even if he was threatened.

"I heard from Itachi, but I don't give a rat's *** about what he wants. You interest me, and I want to get to know you better."

Satsuki eyed him, scooting a little farther away. "What about me interests you?"

"You're an Uchiha, and I'm wondering why an Uchiha would seek out Itachi out of all people, considering the circumstances."

" 'Considering the circumstances'? What do you mean?"

Deidara snorted, shaking his head. "Your naiveté astounds me. I now know why you're so fond of him. You don't know, do you?"

"Know what? I don't understand."

"Ignorance is bliss, I suppose. Perhaps you should ask the one you call 'Aniki'."

When Deidara left, Satsuki wrung his hands together before he got out, drying off before putting on his yukata. He went to his room and lay on his side, staring at the wall. Could Itachi have done something so horrible that he should be repulsed by his own brother that he loved more than anyone else in the world? It seemed that Itachi was hiding _something_, that was for sure.

He sighed, closing his eyes to think deeper. But in the midst of his pondering he fell asleep.

* * *

><p><em>Satsuki giggled as Sasuke, eight years old, hurried home from staying late after school practice shuriken throwing. "I'd better get back, or else Ka-san will be worried. Satsuki-chan ought to be fast asleep by now though, since he isn't one to wait up."<em>

_It was then that Satsuki noticed that the streets were awfully clear for the early evening. Sasuke did the same a second later, pausing. "It's too early for everyone to have gone to bed."_

_He turned a corner and froze, seeing the dead bodies, kunai, shuriken and blood everywhere. "What is this?" he gasped horror, before running past them towards home. "Ka-san! Tou-san!"_

_Satsuki hoped beyond all hope that they'd escaped the fate of the others of their clan, but a cold feeling in his gut told him that it wasn't so. What happened? Who could've killed all those people?_

_Sasuke reached the house, taking off his sandals and putting his bag down on the step. "Ka-san…? Tou-san…? Are you home?"_

_When he received no answer, he searched the house, bypassing the room where Satsuki knew that a younger version of himself slept at that very moment. Sasuke reached their parents' room, he stopped when he heard movement inside._

"_Someone's in there," he whispered, his eyes wide in terror. He stood frozen for a moment before pushing himself forward. He opened the doors to find his parents crumpled in a pile on the floor, dead. "Ka-san! Tou-san!"_

_He paused when he saw someone beyond them, the moonlight revealing it was Itachi. His face shone in relief as he cried, "Aniki, Ka-san and Tou-san are—"_

_He was cut off when a shuriken grazed his shoulder, hitting the door behind him. "Aniki, why?"_

_Itachi activated a technique that Satsuki had never seen before, Sasuke screaming for a moment before collapsing, saliva trickling to the ground from his mouth as he struggled to get up. "You killed everyone? Why?"_

"_To measure my own capacity," Itachi answered, not a hint of guilt in his voice._

_Satsuki watched in shock as Sasuke got up and ran to attack his own elder brother, yelling, "You've lost your mind!"_

_Itachi punched him in the midsection, making him fly several feet back onto the floor. Sudden fright took him and he ran, Itachi pursuing, pausing at the room where Satsuki slumbered peacefully before transporting himself to intercept Sasuke. The child gasped, tears running down his cheeks in sick fear as he cried, "I don't wanna die!"_

"_You're not even worth killing," Itachi murmured._

_Sasuke stared in confusion._

"_So live, let your hate fester inside you. Live a coward's life, ashamed that you were spared."_

_It was then Itachi turned and left, before Sasuke gasped. "Satsuki-chan, I never checked if he was still alive!"_

_Hesitantly he went back, stumbling a little from the trauma he'd been through. He almost ran to the room, pulling open the door before seeing the boy in his futon, back facing him. At first he thought Satsuki was dead, but then noticed the slight movement of his breathing. Tears came anew in his eyes._

"_Satsuki-chan, I didn't think Aniki would spare you even what I had to go through."_

_He wiped his face and knelt by his twin, shaking him lightly on the shoulder. Satsuki groaned a little before turning over, blinking wearily. "Aniki, what is it?"_

"_Satsuki-chan, we need to get to Konoha hospital."_

"_Why?"_

"_I'll explain there, just come on, Satsuki-chan!"_

_Satsuki sat up, yawned and stood, letting the older of the two lead, only stopping to get his shoes on. Sasuke skirted around the streets where there were bodies, to spare his twin the distress of knowing what had happened._

"_Where is everyone?"_

"_It's pretty late, Satsuki-chan."_

"_You sound really tired Aniki, more than usual. You okay?"_

"_Yeah, I am. I just worked a little harder at the academy today."_

"_Okay."_

Satsuki jerked awake, taken aback by the vividness of the dream. Why had his mind shown him such a horrifying thing? Could it have been a dream of the past? But it couldn't have! He'd never heard of the Uchiha Genocide! If it was true, not only had Sasuke lied to him, but Itachi had as well! But why would both of them lie to him for so many years?

Perhaps ignorance _was_ bliss, in this case. He'd been traumatized enough by Itachi's disappearance and the "disappearance" of their parents and clan. He'd never even thought to think that it was oddly clean for a kidnapping and everyone wouldn't just leave without taking the twins along. He _was_ a fool, taking for granted that he thought his brothers would never lie to him. Sasuke hated or at least feared Itachi, and Itachi himself had only spared his life on a whim, lying to his face when they were reunited! Sasuke probably wanted to avenge their clan and hid his suffering, putting on a game face to keep Satsuki in the dark and happy!

He got up, feeling sick to his stomach. He ran to the bathroom and hurled, panting when his body finally calmed from the fear and distress the dream had incited. He gasped when he felt a hand on his back.

"Satsuki-chan, are you ill? Did something scare you while you were sleeping?"

"Y-yes, Aniki."

"Tell me about it as we get you back to bed. You know you have nightmares when I'm not there with you."

The expression of concern was the exact opposite of what it had been during the dream: face cruel and eyes flat. He felt reassured for a moment as they settled on the futon, Itachi rubbing his arm and back to try and calm him.

"Now, tell me about your dream."

"Aniki you…killed everyone…Oka-san, Otou-san… You were so cruel, so terrible…you told Sake-kun to hate you, you hurt him both mentally and physically… It was horrible…"

Tears leaked out of his eyes as he buried his face in his hands.

Itachi held him close and murmured, "Satsuki-chan, you're shaken up by all that's happened. It must've been a very vivid dream to have made you throw up so much."

"Aniki, did it really happen? Did you really kill everyone in our clan? Is that why everyone was surprised I was with you when I'm an Uchiha?"

Itachi was silent for a long time, before he spoke in a low voice. "First, I'm only telling you this because I love you more than anything in the world. Second, everything I say will be true whenever I speak to you from now on. Six years ago, our clan was planning to stage a coup de'tat to overthrow Konohagakure no Sato's current leadership and place themselves at the head. Our father was in the thick of it, using me and my connections to the ANBU to spy on Konohagakure no Sato. Little did he know that Konohagakure no Sato was using me to spy on them as well. When the time was right, by the Sandaime Hokage's orders I had to kill everyone, and I was supposed to leave no one alive. But…"

Satsuki lowered his head. He'd spared him and Sasuke on a whim.

"I couldn't bear to kill you or Sasuke, especially you, my dear Satsuki-chan. It wasn't a question of following orders or not, it was the question of whether or not I had the ability to kill my emotions enough to murder my twin younger brothers. And I didn't."

"Aniki, I'm sorry I doubted you."

"And I'm sorry I lied to you, but I couldn't tell you until the right moment. I will never lie to you again."

"Promise?"

"Yes."

"Pinky swear?"

"Okay, Satsuki-chan."

They hooked pinkies and released them at the same time.

"You need your rest, Satsuki-chan. The technique that's forming inside you is sapping your strength."

"You knew about it all along?"

"Yes, and it will activate very soon, but I wonder if it's a strange sort of summoning technique…"

Satsuki drifted off, wondering what Itachi meant by "summoning technique".

* * *

><p>Well, what do you think is happening to our dear OC? It shall be revealed in the next chapter!<p>

Please review!


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, so you cannot sue!

This next chapter ought to be good! Read and be happy!

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><p>Satsuki was training under a waterfall when the marks on his torso lit up. He ran to the nearest shore and spread his arms, just as a yin-yang appeared under his feet and in each eye. Like two flowers blooming, a pair of white bird wings and black bat wings came from the symbols on his back and stomach. Then, in a burst of white light, two small bodies came from him, one with white hair and eyes, the other with flat gray hair and eyes. They looked half Satsuki's age, as they landed next to each other, before they looked up at him.<p>

"Your name, Master?"

"U-Uchiha Satsuki?" Satsuki stammered, unsure what was happening.

"I'm Kuro," the dark-haired boy stated.

"Ano, I'm Shiro!" the white-haired boy chirped.

"Um…what's happening? You two suddenly appeared out of my body, and now I'm your master?"

Kuro nodded. "By the power of the last half-moon and the Eternal Balance, you began gathering chakra inside your body to summon us. We haven't been summoned in a long time, even though some attempts were made. We're grateful to you, Satsuki-sama."

"I'm extra grateful, Satsuki-nii!" Shiro added.

"What's your summoning for?" the fourteen-year-old boy questioned.

"I'm the healer! I'm good at escape and drawing, too!" the seven-year-old angelic kid answered, grinning.

"I'm the planner and attacker. I'm skilled in many things, some of which are my own type of fire ninjutsu, taijutsu and Kekkei Genkai," the seven-year-old demonic child replied.

Satsuki finally got it—they were supposed to be his fighting companions! He'd never seen a summoning technique before, so he didn't know that his was odd. "Okay, let's go back to the hideout," he suggested, going to get his shirt on.

"You mean we're not just wandering?" Shiro cried, eyes sparkling.

"Of course not. Why would someone my age be wandering around by myself?"

"At the time we were last summoned, boys your age were capable of commanding units," Kuro observed. "Have they heightened the bar as of late?"

Satsuki shook his head. "No, it's not that way, I'm just with someone else in this hideout. Besides, now it's required for ninja to have four members in their squad. Teamwork is 'in' now."

"Oh, I see. So if we had one more member on our team we'd be a proper unit?"

"Yeah. Enough with the chit-chat already, let's get going."

"You seem tired, Satsuki-nii," Shiro pointed out.

"Yeah, I am. I've been training like crazy for a long time and the summoning of you two took a lot of chakra."

"Oh! Then you should get some rest! I won't hinder you!"

Satsuki sighed, running a hand through his hair. He muttered under his breath, "That's the problem I have to get over. I have trouble sleeping or have nightmares if I'm alone."

They entered the hidden compound, Kuro and Shiro obviously not sure what to make of it.

"This is a rather crude establishment, Satsuki-sama," Kuro observed.

"It's dark and dank," Shiro added. "Are we really gonna live here?"

"I live here with those I work with because we require to be hidden for the time being. Beggars can't be choosers."

Satsuki went to his room, unfolded his futon and laid on it. Even though he was dead beat, he didn't have the requirements for a restful and calm nap. And it would be selfish if he asked Itachi to go out of his way just to assure his unconscious need. Even if he was so exhausted that he felt like he was going to drop asleep at any time.

Shiro sat next to him and asked, "You need rest Satsuki-nii, so why aren't you?"

"It's useless. My body is just too wired to being with someone else while it sleeps. I need to go do something for a while until nighttime."

Kuro got up with him. "It isn't healthy for you to push yourself beyond what you're capable of, Satsuki-sama. Even Shiro and I need to sleep."

"I know, but I can't right now, no matter if I'm totally wiped out."

"Then I'll go with you."

"Me too!" Shiro chirped.

So the pair followed their master out, only for Satsuki to bump into Kisame.

"Hey, Kid. I thought you were training all day again today!"

"I was going to, but I activated a rather taxing summoning technique. I'm bushed."

Kisame grinned and mussed the boy's hair. "So that's why your eyes are bloodshot. Have to wait for Itachi to come back, huh?"

"Yes, he's been going out to train a lot lately."

"Only because you do."

"What? Really?"

"Yes, and you know what?" The large Akatsuki crooked a finger for him to come closer and Satsuki leaned in to hear him whisper, "He brought you here to spend time with you, nothing else."

He then straightened up and left, Satsuki quiet for a moment before he began moving again. He went to where he knew Itachi would meditate, seeing the twenty-one-year-old doing so, although at his entrance, he stood up and turned to his little brother.

"Satsuki-chan, I thought you would never disturb me while I'm meditating. Is there something you needed?"

Satsuki ran over to him, falling into his beloved sibling's arms and putting his arms around his neck. "Aniki…I'm so tired from the summoning technique…"

"The summoning technique? You'll have to show me after you get some rest."

Satsuki fell asleep, content in his brother's arms.

* * *

><p>Itachi carried the slumbering teen and turned to see Shiro and Kuro watching him. His eyes lit up in amazement as he carried Satsuki to the doorway. "Are you two what Satsuki-chan summoned?"<p>

Kuro nodded. "I'm Kuro."

"And I'm Shiro!" Shiro exclaimed with gusto.

The older Uchiha noticed that these two were the exact likeness of Satsuki's two alternate personalities. "Fascinating. Walk with me, we'll talk while Satsuki-chan gets his rest."

"Won't that wake him up?" Kuro asked in worry.

"No, he stays asleep until his body is rested. Don't worry about your master."

"Itachi-san, may I ask you something?"

"If I'm able to answer it, you may."

"Why do you call Satsuki-sama 'Satsuki-chan'? He isn't a child."

"I've always called him that, ever since his birth."

"Are you a close friend of his? He seems to trust you completely."

"I've been wondering that, too!" Shiro inserted.

Itachi nodded. "I would see why you would, you two. I'm Satsuki-chan's oldest brother by seven years. He's a twin, you know."

"Where's his twin?" the white-eyed angelic boy questioned. "Isn't he close to his twin, too?"

"Unfortunately, because of certain unfortunate events, Sasuke hates me, so Satsuki-chan had to make a choice: stay with his twin and suffer the loss of his eldest brother, or go to me and barely miss his twin."

"Why only 'barely miss' his twin? Aren't twins supposed to be inseparable?" Kuro inquired.

"Satsuki-chan and Sasuke are the best of friends, closer than close, together from the womb, but the relationship Satsuki-chan and I share is vastly different. He loved me from the first time he laid eyes on me, and vice versa. To him, I am his most important person, his anchor, his lifeline. I already know how he would react if I died or went missing. He would close himself off to the world and slowly die."

"How do you know that?"

"That's how he reacted, if not more violently, when I left. He refused to live without me, but couldn't commit suicide. Only the most drastic of measures made him stable enough to live for the five, almost six years I had to keep my distance."

"What was that?"

"Memory suppression, after a year of trying every other method."

Shiro shuddered. "That's horrible, Itachi-san. Um…I'm just curious… What happened when he was born? What occurred that this bond between you formed?"

Itachi sighed deeply, pausing in his stroll. "Know before I tell you that this is a very personal experience for me, that I'll only tell people with my uttermost trust."

The pair nodded, solemn expressions on their faces.

"It started from the very first moment I knew I was going to be a brother…"

* * *

><p>"<em>Itachi, your mother and I want to tell you something wonderful," Fugaku, the six-year-old's father, stated, putting a hand on Itachi's shoulder.<em>

"_Yes, Tou-san?"_

_His gentle mother, Mikoto, placed a hand on her stomach and announced, "You're going to be a big brother."_

"_Ka-san's…going to have a baby?" the boy prodigy figured out, eyes brightening. "Am I going to have a little brother or sister?"_

"_We're hoping for a girl, but it's too early to tell yet."_

"_But if on the off-chance that it's a boy, I want you to be the best big brother he could ever have," the elder Uchiha ordered._

"_I will, Tou-san, I will!"_

_With that mindset, Itachi helped his mother around the house whenever possible between his training and being with his best friend._

_At this time he was helping his mother in the kitchen as she made dinner. He looked at her stomach and noticed it had a small bump now. "Ka-san, I can see the baby now."_

_She smiled and patted his head. "Yes Itachi, do you know why so soon?"_

_He shook his head, unsure what she meant. "Why, Ka-san?"_

"_When I was carrying you, I didn't look like this until I was four months along. I'm only three months along now. It's because you're going to have _two_ sisters or brothers now."_

"_Two?" He tilted his head to the side a little. "I thought there was only one baby."_

"_I found out when I went to the doctor yesterday. When two babies grow inside a mother at once, they're called twins."_

"_Twins…"_

* * *

><p><em>One night when he was heading towards the bathroom, he heard voices coming from his parents' room. He stopped just beyond the double doors to listen.<em>

"_How long will you keep this from Itachi? I think he has the right to know, dear."_

"_Mikoto, we were hoping for at least one girl, but for us to find out you're going to have twin boys… I don't know how he'll react to the news."_

"_He's been pleased by the news that there will be twins, why would he be upset if he knows that both of them will be boys? I think he'll be overjoyed by the fact that he's going to have little brothers."_

"_Then perhaps we'll tell him tomorrow."_

_So the next morning when Itachi got up, his parents were waiting for him at the breakfast table. He knelt at his place and his mother spoke._

"_Itachi, sweetheart, your father and I have something to tell you."_

"_Yes?" Itachi answered, trying to seem like he had no idea what they were going to tell him._

"_The twins are both boys," his father revealed._

"_So I'm going to have two little brothers?" he cried, eyes wide in happiness._

"_Yes, Itachi dear," his mother confirmed._

"_That's awesome!"_

_At that, Mikoto smiled at her husband, who did the same back to her._

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><p><em>As the months passed, his mother's stomach became so huge that she had to rest frequently, so he stayed home a lot to help her with everything. Both the babies were moving so much that she could get hardly any sleep at night. She often took short naps between sessions of eating and sudden bathroom breaks.<em>

"_Ka-san, when are the babies going to come?" he asked, tired of waiting so long._

"_Any day now, perhaps even today or tonight," she whispered, cradling her growing belly._

_He placed an ear against the bulge, hearing the two kicking contentedly. "Ka-san, what are you going to call them?"_

"_Your father and I decided on Sasuke and Satsuki."_

"_Sasuke-chan and Satsuki-chan…I like those names."_

"_I'm glad you do, Itachi. You're such a good son."_

_She ran her hand through his hair as he relaxed with her._

_When Fugaku came home, Mikoto cooked a light dinner, before she suddenly dropped the serving spoon on the table, holding her stomach. "Fugaku dear, it's time."_

_The man moved so fast that Itachi blinked and his father was helping his mother out the door._

"_Itachi, come, unless you don't want to see your brothers' birth."_

_The seven-year-old hurried out of the house with his parents._

_They got to the hospital and the suffering woman into the delivery room before she cried, "I can feel one of them coming!"_

_The doctor rushed in just in time to deliver the first twin, the newborn screaming for all he was worth._

"_Sasuke-chan…" Mikoto whispered, stroking his wild black hair._

_Fugaku held him next, a smile on his face. "Sasuke."_

_The doctor smiled, looking at her tired face. "The other twin should be out in no time, at the pace you went with the first."_

_Itachi was a little unnerved by how loudly Sasuke cried, so he didn't hold him, even though he looked at him until he was taken away to the hospital's nursery. "He looks like Ka-san, Tou-san."_

"_You think so too, do you?" the father of two replied._

"_Yes, Tou-san. I wonder if Satsuki-chan will look the same."_

"_Perhaps, if he and Sasuke are identical twins."_

"_Huh?"_

"_There are two kinds of twins, identical and fraternal. If the twins are identical, they're always exactly the same, unless there are birth defects. If they're fraternal, they're usually different, even though sometimes they can look very similar. In cases of fraternal twins, they're usually born opposite genders."_

"_So Ka-san could've just as easily had a boy and a girl, or both girls?"_

"_Yes, Itachi. You catch on quick." He then turned to Mikoto, taking her hand. "Mikoto, darling, it should be over soon. You should rest a little while you can."_

_She nodded, closing her eyes to rest._

_It was only when the laboring mother didn't give birth again after several hours did the doctor come in and was surprised when he checked the ultrasound monitor. He rushed out, yelling, "Breach! We have a breach! Nurse! We need to get this mother into the ER and prep for a C-section stat!"_

_They (the doctor and nurses) pushed Mikoto out quickly._

_Itachi looked up at his father as they sat outside the operating room. "Tou-san, what's wrong with Ka-san?"_

"_Satsuki's in the wrong position to be born naturally without hurting your mother, so they have to operate. Don't worry, both your little brother and mother will be all right."_

_They waited for what seemed like forever to the seven-year-old, until the doctor came out with a wailing bundle. Itachi's countenance lifted as the man reported, "She's resting now, but this poor little fellow won't stop crying for anything. It's as if he doesn't like being out of his mother."_

_Fugaku held the baby for a moment or two, and, seeing that it did nothing to soothe the newborn's cries, asked Itachi, "Do you want to hold him, son?"_

"_Sure, Tou-san," the boy responded, holding out his arms._

_The steel-haired child smiled as his father handed little Satsuki to him._

"_Cradle his head in the crook of your elbow, use both your arms and be gentle—good. That's right," his father coached._

_Once Satsuki was comfortably situated, like magic, he stopped crying, his large, dark eyes trained on his older brother._

"_It seems like your oldest son's the baby's favorite," the doctor stated, which was obvious._

"_His name is Satsuki," Fugaku corrected. "That's what my wife and I decided on."_

"_All right."_

_The doctor left, leaving the trio alone._

_But Itachi paid little attention as he stroked his baby brother's pale cheek. Satsuki dropped off to sleep, content in his brother's arms._

"_I like you too, Satsuki-chan."_

* * *

><p>"…from that time onward, I literally raised him myself. He screamed if anyone tried to handle him but me, even our mother, so I had to learn to be a parent at age seven. My mother and father raised Sasuke, while they tended Satsuki during the times I had to slip away to train and go to the academy. It would've been a real chore to keep him with me all the time. I could leave him for longer periods when he realized I wasn't gone when he couldn't see me. If I wasn't around, he would only have Sasuke with him, but Sasuke suffered because he loved Ka-san and Tou-san and had separation anxiety, until they turned three and began playing with each other. I was still his favorite person, but Satsuki-chan learned that other people, including Ka-san and Tou-san, weren't to be feared. Ka-san was overjoyed when she could finally hold him without him screaming like he was being murdered."<p>

"That's so sweet that he has such a pure, unadulterated love for you!" Shiro chirped.

"But it can also be unhealthy for him to be so dependant on you, when you're both ninja," Kuro pointed out. "If you were to be killed, he wouldn't be able to function unless if his memories were suppressed again, or worse, erased. His reaction would be worse than the first."

"My end is inevitable, unfortunately. I will die, even if I were to survive the next year or two."

The two summoned entities were shocked into silence.

"While you're wondering about my statement, I'll explain. I've been diagnosed with a terminal disease. It's not too far yet, but in a couple years, I'll be pumping my body full of drugs to keep going another day, seeming like I'm at full strength. Also, you're behind the times greatly when it comes to the Uchiha clan."

"What do you mean?" Kuro asked.

"Sasuke hates me because I wiped out the Uchiha clan. What he doesn't know is why. Satsuki-chan knows, but I want to have Sasuke hate me. He will come for me to kill me, and Satsuki won't be able to stop him. Sasuke's entire being is bent on having his revenge, and he will hunt me to the ends of the earth if he needs to. But I won't let him get off easily, or else he'll think I gave up in the middle. Satsuki-chan doesn't realize this, and you won't tell him, either of you."

The pair knew he was deadly serious, so they nodded in assent.

"I also have something for you to do when I go to my end."

* * *

><p>What could Itachi ask of Shiro and Kuro? Any guesses? Cookies and hugs to those get it right!<p>

Please review!


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Naruto! Don't sue me!

This one's kinda an angsty chapter, sorry for those who hate angst!

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><p>When Satsuki's sixteenth birthday came, there wasn't much of a celebration. But as he woke, he murmured, "Another birthday without Sake-kun…"<p>

Itachi sat up with him and patted his head. "There won't be another Satsuki-chan, I assure you. I have a gift for you."

"A gif—"

He gasped when Itachi kissed him on the head, before running his fingers through his hair, starting from the back of his head to his bangs. Then a flock of ravens surrounded them, Satsuki looking around at them in surprise.

"Ani—"

"Shhh. Don't you like them?"

He looked at his brother again, who had a sad smile on his face. His Sharingan appeared and changed, and before the younger Uchiha could ask what was happening, all went dark.

* * *

><p>"…<em>uki-chan. Satsuki-chan…"<em>

_He opened his eyes to find himself in a void of black and white, which had a feeling of emptiness. He stood and asked, "Where am I?"_

_He saw Sasuke appear, looking much older, with a hateful look in his eyes. A feeling of sick happiness washed over him as he cried, "Sake-kun! It's so good to see you again!"_

_When the other didn't hear his cry, he saw what his twin was glaring at._

"_Aniki! What's happening?"_

_Sasuke drew a sword that Satsuki had never seen him use before. He yelled a battle cry, before charging, although there was complete silence besides the youngest Uchiha's speaking. Itachi merely stood there, not moving to fight back._

"_Aniki! Don't just stand there! He'll kill you!"_

_When it looked inevitable that the oldest Uchiha wasn't able to hear him, Satsuki turned away, only for a hand to grab his chin and make him face it, to watch as his brother was cut through with the weapon and fell to the ground._

"_ANIKI!" he screamed, tears flying from his eyes as he tried to escape from the restraining arms._

"_I'm right here, Satsuki-chan," Itachi's voice came from behind him._

"_But Aniki! You're dead!"_

"_No, but this future will soon come to pass. Break my Tsukuyomi, and deal with the possibility that I might not be powerful enough to beat Sasuke again."_

"_Again? What are you talking about?"_

_In front of his eyes, the Sasuke he remembered appeared, charging at Itachi with the same hatred as before, but with Chidori sparking in his right hand. But this time, Itachi caught his wrist, the technique disappearing. He snapped the limb like it was a stick, Sasuke screaming in pain._

"_Why do you do this? Why?"_

"_Because I love you both so much, Satsuki-chan."_

"_I don't want to see anymore, Aniki!"_

"_Then break my technique, and you won't have to."_

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><p><em>After what seemed like days to the teen, he cried, "Aniki, please…no more…"<em>

"_I'm doing this because you're soft, and what will happen afterwards once I die? What will you do? The same thing you did last time? It won't work if you don't go on without me."_

"_You're never…going to die…Aniki…"_

"_That's not true, Satsuki-chan. Either by Sasuke's hand or by something else, I won't be living much longer."_

"_But…why? You're a…good person…"_

"_Not many know that, and besides, Sasuke would never listen to me, and he believes you're jaded by your love for me."_

"_Please…don't…do this…"_

"_Then break my illusion. You possess strength, you just have to find it."_

_Satsuki struggled against his brother's will, though it seemed like an unbreakable chain that bound his entire being. He now knew that Itachi was being tough on him for his own good, there had to be a weak link somewhere so he could break it and set himself free. He activated his Sharingan and searched, almost like he was flailing against an unmovable wall. But he searched for the crack that had to be there. If he couldn't find it, he would make one. He wanted to prove that he was strong, not the child that he'd been all his life. As he struggled, he felt Itachi pushing back, testing his mental and chakra abilities. He pushed back harder than he thought he ever could, the world fracturing before shattering._

* * *

><p>He woke to find Itachi smiling at him. "You passed my test and proved yourself to be stronger than I am in genjutsu."<p>

"Thanks, Aniki."

As he thought of the future, he wasn't as upset as he'd thought he'd be. It felt almost foreign, the calm yet nervous feeling. He stood and followed Itachi to a small town, where the Akatsuki ninja nodded to Shiro and Kuro, who tensed a little before doing the exact same set of hand signs before pressing their hands on their summoner.

"Combination Chakra Prison Technique!"

Light and dark chakra surrounded him, forming a sphere and blocking his view of his eldest brother out. All he could see was a large yin-yang sign encircling him. He reached out, the chakra giving him a nasty shock.

"Aniki! What's going on? Why are Kuro and Shiro doing this to me?"

"I'm sorry, but it's necessary for the time being. This will probably be the last time you hear my voice, Satsuki-chan. Just so you know, I loved you more than anyone else, my favorite little brother."

"Please, Aniki! Don't go without taking me with you! Not again!"

"Not this time, Satsuki-chan. I don't want you getting caught in the crossfire and getting hurt, no matter how strong you are."

"…Is this your final goodbye?"

"Yes, it is. Goodbye, Satsuki-chan."

"Goodbye…Aniki…"

* * *

><p>It was silent for a long time, before Satsuki spoke. "Shiro, Kuro?"<p>

"Yes, Satsuki-nii?"

"Yes, Satsuki-sama?"

"Would you let me out, please?"

The pair seemed to contemplate for a moment before the prison disappeared. Once it was, he started running, his summoned companions following him.

"What are you going to do, Satsuki-sama?" Kuro asked. "I hope nothing foolish."

"No, I just want to see Aniki one last time, even if he's dead when I get to where he fights," Satsuki murmured, his run speeding up into an all-out sprint.

* * *

><p>As he neared the location of his brothers' battle, he ran into Naruto, an unknown jonin and Hinata. With his dark cloak, missing forehead protector and spiky dark hair, there was no uncertainty on what name they would call out.<p>

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, a look of anger and happiness on his face.

"Sasuke-kun!" Hinata called.

"Uchiha Sasuke! Halt!" the jonin leading them ordered.

He did stop, only to turn and smile a little, unlike (unknown to him at the time) Sasuke's neutral expression. "It's nice to see you after three-and-a-half years, Naruto, Hinata-chan. If you'll excuse me, I need to get somewhere quickly, it's urgent."

He started sprinting again, only to hear Naruto yell, "Wait a second! Come back here, whoever you are!"

He stopped, only because of a wall of sweltering black flames. But he didn't have to think, his eyes lit up as Mangekyo Sharingan appeared and his left eye began to bleed as he doused the flames. He then went on, not slowing his frantic pace any, so he lost his pursuers in the charred trees all-too-easily. He made a beeline for the battle site, coming upon his two brothers just as Itachi reached out and poked Sasuke in the forehead as he'd always done, his lips moving before he fell to the ground, dead.

Unable to contain himself, tears rushed down his face from all four corners of his eyes, the tears from his left mixing with the blood, making him seem like he was crying blood. He didn't sob, bawl, or anything as he walked over to his elder brother's slowly-cooling corpse.

"Aniki…"

Sasuke's head snapped up at his voice, his eyes widening at the sight of his twin after three whole years, almost three-and-a-half. "Saki-chan, is that really you, or are my eyes playing tricks on me?"

Satsuki's face was devastated by the loss of his most important person, but his eyes were bright with joy, tears still gushing down his face. "Yes, Sake-kun, it's me."

"Saki-chan, you don't understand, but I had to kill Aniki."

"No, I understand, Aniki told me."

"What's wrong with you? You're just crying, not freaking out or going comatose."

"I know, I can't really explain it, either."

Satsuki took his twin into a hug, relishing that he still loved his best friend and brother, even if this had happened. "I have to get you to a more secure location. You're hurt, and I sense danger."

Like a paper lit by a fire, they vanished, Itachi's body with them, even as Naruto and the others came to the spot.

* * *

><p>Well, what did you all think? This isn't the end, not yet!<p>

Please review!


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I'll never own Naruto because I'm not important enough! Don't sue me!

So, the main part of the story has been revealed! Now what will happen next in this long chapter?

* * *

><p>As Satsuki wrapped his brother's wounds, the other young man fainted from the loss of blood and chakra exhaustion. He kept looking around for intruders, his eyes making sure he didn't see someone in particular. When he was finished caring for his twin, he turned to his older brother. He knew what Itachi wished for him to do, so he wouldn't end up the same, being so young. A couple tears leaked from his eyes as he laid a kiss on his brother's forehead before doing the painful task of removing Itachi's eyes and implanting them in his own, doing the same to Sasuke with his eyes. He did it as quickly as possible, completing the surgery just as Kuro and Shiro found him.<p>

"Satsuki-sama! Are you all right?" Kuro shouted in concern.

"Satsuki-nii!" Shiro cried, running over to the panting teenager. "Your eyes are hurt… I'll heal them right away!"

Satsuki blinked a little before he saw white chakra flood his vision. "Thank you, Shiro. I appreciate it…"

"I see that you've recovered Sasuke-san. What will you do now?" Kuro inquired of his master. "We shouldn't stay here long."

"I want you two to keep watch while I get some rest. I'm exhausted after this long day's events. If I push myself any further, I may just pass out like Sake-kun. That _isn't_ something I want."

"Well then, sleep well, Satsuki-sama."

"If Sake-kun wakes first, don't talk to him. I want to tell him about everything."

"Understood, although we could help a little at remembering the key details."

* * *

><p>He woke to an urgent tapping on his shoulder and found himself looking up at the enemy that Itachi had warned him to be watchful for. But before either of them could speak, Satsuki's Mangekyo Sharingan appeared and Amaterasu activated, lighting the other ninja with the unquenchable black fire. Shiro and Kuro slapped his shoulders, "Summoning Technique!" and an odd set of wings appeared on them. They carried Sasuke while he used his speed to take to the air, his companions following. Behind and below them they still heard the screams of the obviously-toast ninja.<p>

"Who was that?" Shiro asked, mystified by Amaterasu's power.

"Even he shares the same blood, an enemy to never lay eyes on again. Uchiha Madara."

"You mean _the_ Uchiha Madara that fought the Shodaime Hokage? Surely you jest. He's been dead for decades!" Kuro scoffed.

"Aniki told me he lives on with a technique unknown to even him. He's the shadow leader of the Akatsuki, and possesses all the Kekkei Genkai I do, save the power of the Eternal Balance. He probably wants Sake-kun and me because, besides him, we're the last Uchiha living, but if he finds out that I have the rare ability that happens once every hundred years or so, he'll do anything to have me under his power. I can see that he probably has my Mangekyo Sharingan triggered to go off if he's in my sight range. Otherwise, he told me to run if I sensed him."

"You've sure gotten wise under Itachi-san's tutoring, Satsuki-sama."

"Thank you, Kuro. So if you sense him again, smack me if you have to, make sure I'm aware so I can detain him enough to assure our escape. I _never_ want to see him again, if I have the choice."

They made sure to be a great distance away from the last known position of their enemy and then proceeded towards Konohagakure no Sato on foot, Satsuki carrying his wounded twin on his back.

As they traveled, Sasuke woke, wincing in pain. "Saki-chan, where am I?"

"We're in the Country of Fire, headed for Konohagakure no Sato."

"Why? I'm an enemy to Konohagakure no Sato, we both are."

"What, am I guilty by association? I was 'kidnapped', remember? I have no reason to have qualms about returning to the village of my birth."

"But I defected to Orochimaru—"

"Who you killed. You have nothing holding you back from returning to Konohagakure no Sato, to your friends."

"According to what I've been saying to them, I have no ties to them."

"But I won't return without you, and right now you don't have a choice until your strength returns. You're the only family I have left, and I will never let you die like Aniki did."

"Your understanding of what happened six years ago is limited."

"No, it isn't. I know the truth behind everything, because Aniki told me before he went to fight you."

"What do you mean?"

"He deceived you to the very end, making you hate him so you would get strong enough to fend for yourself against the powerful enemies that we've gained. Everything happened for a different reason than the one he gave you."

He kept talking for some time, telling the whole story behind the Uchiha genocide and why he was so distant, even cruel.

"You don't actually believe this, do you?"

"I do. Aniki swore that he'd never lie to me again, and he never did. I've always trusted him to do what's best for me, but when I was too young, he omitted certain truths so that I wouldn't fall apart because he'd actually killed everyone, including Ka-san and Tou-san. You've done the same for my mental health."

"Your trust is blinded by your love for him. You'd believe anything he'd tell you."

"You actually think my view of him is jaded…as Aniki told me. Please, would _I_ lie to you, Sake-kun?"

"Yes."

"I deserved that, but I _never_ lied when it was important, and you know it."

"…I know you don't, but how am I supposed to believe your source for this information isn't faulty?"

"I've learned that I can sense lies through the eyes and tone of voice, even the chakra, and Aniki _wasn't_ lying."

"Let me test your ability, then. Your favorite color is white."

"That's the truth."

"I passed the Chunin Exam."

"That's a lie, and I don't even have to use my ability."

"I'm happy that Aniki is gone."

Satsuki snorted. "That's a definite lie. You never wanted to kill Aniki, you just wanted to avenge our clan. Aniki was your closest friend besides me and Naruto."

Sasuke considered, before he nodded. "I believe you now, since you could sense that lie. I never showed you my hatred, so you must've learned about it from other sources."

"I did. You need to rest some more, your injuries are still healing."

"I'm not walking, and I've slept enough to make up for losing all my chakra."

"That's somewhat true, so I'll let you talk with me for a while more."

"What did you do all this time?"

"Trained, spent time with Aniki, figured out a style of my own when it comes to fighting. What happened to Yui? I thought he would've prevented you from leaving Konohagakure no Sato."

"I'm sorry to tell you, but after trying to recover you, he died from his injuries. They were too severe for his body to handle."

"I guess I was unconscious for all of that. Poor Yui, and he so enjoyed my company. I guess you haven't met my friends that I summoned, since they arrived after you passed out."

"What friends?"

"They're giving us a wide berth because they wanted to give us some privacy to talk. Shiro's to our right, Kuro's to our left."

"Shiro…and Kuro?"

"Yes, and it's quite evident why they're called that. Shiro is white, Kuro is black, even their wings are their respective color."

"Wings? What exactly are they?"

"You know, I've never actually asked. They look mostly human save that feature. Actually they look like my miniature look-alikes, because they're exactly half my age. Shiro acts like the kid he is, but Kuro—"

"Is more like a wise adult," Sasuke finished for him.

"How did you know that?"

"When Aniki was gone and you weren't exactly emotionally stable, you used to have times where you receded into yourself, and Shiro or Kuro would come out until the stressful situation was gone. There was even once that you didn't come back at all for quite some time, and they switched whenever they went to sleep."

"During that time I don't remember? The month or so before the Chunin Exam to the preliminaries of the third exam?"

"Yes. They said you suffered a nervous breakdown."

"That's not exactly true. I began remembering Aniki and everything, and as I was about to begin freaking out, yes, I was forced to recede into myself so I couldn't recall anymore."

"Now that you know everything, you seem a lot calmer, Saki-chan."

"Thanks, Sake-kun. We can call each other by just our names, we've known each other long enough."

"So it's finally all right to call you by your full name, Satsuki."

"Yes, Sasuke."

"It's good to hear you say my name like that again. I haven't heard my name with such love in years."

They came to the gates of Konohagakure no Sato and were surrounded by three squads of ANBU. Kuro and Shiro pressed themselves protectively against their master, eyes wary.

Tsunade stepped through them, her eyes sharp. "Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Satsuki. Why now, after all this time, have you chosen to return?"

"Aniki is gone," the twins said in unison.

"That's the only reason?"

Satsuki nodded. "Aniki was the driving force of both our disappearances. Now that he's gone, we've come back to stay."

"Sasuke, would you agree?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

"Well then, you'll be issued forehead protectors and given the ranks you had at the time you left. Sasuke, you're a genin, Satsuki, you're a chunin. You'll be kept under watch for the next year, until it's absolutely certain you won't leave again."

"Yes, ma'am."

"You seem rather weakened, Sasuke. You should get to the hospital to rest."

Satsuki followed closely, his summoned companions close behind. He hovered as they placed Sasuke in a room and replaced his bandages after cleaning his wounds. He sat at his brother's bedside for nearly an hour in silence before the door slammed open and Naruto and Sakura came in, eyes bright with happiness.

"Sasuke!"

"Sasuke-kun!"

Satsuki moved quickly to block them. "If you are to come any further, please lower your voices. Sasuke is injured and resting to heal quicker. So please, shhh."

The pair turned to him and Naruto scowled. "Hey, you're the guy I saw before Sasuke disappeared! Who the heck are you?"

"Uchiha…Satsuki. You don't recognize me, but you recognize my brother on sight? I must've changed a lot in three-and-a-half years."

"Satsuki-kun? You _have_ changed! I almost can't distinguish you from Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed.

"I haven't looked in a mirror in all this time, so I don't know what I look like."

Sakura fished a handheld mirror out of her ninja pouch and held it up to his face. He inspected himself. He _did_ look scarily close to Sasuke, but there were some tiny details that pointed that he was more like his father. His face was a little more masculine, although his eyes were still very large, his hair was still that steel gray, although longer than Sasuke's to the point that he could tie it back. His expression was calm, not neutral like Itachi or Sasuke's had been. He spotted a scar above his eyebrow and smirked as he recalled how he'd gotten it.

"_Aniki! Aniki! Teach me how to throw kunai today!" a four-year-old Satsuki begged an eleven-year-old Itachi._

"_You're too young, Satsuki-chan. You just turned four a few days ago."_

_Satsuki pouted as his eldest brother rubbed his head so his hair was mussed. "When did you get taught how to use kunai, Aniki?"_

"_I was four-and-a-half. Tou-san didn't think my little hands were big or strong enough to hold such heavy, sharp weapons until then."_

"_But, Aniki—"_

"_No buts, Satsuki-chan. If you start any earlier, you might hurt yourself. And I don't want Ka-san upset with me because I let you get hurt with sharp objects."_

_He turned away, preparing to go back to the house, Satsuki, being a very stubborn child back then, he looked at the kunai in his hand before chucking it towards the rock in front of him. He turned away, only for the kunai to bounce off, making him turn in surprise, only to catch it sharp-end first into his forehead. It sliced deeply, blood instantly welling up as the child realized it had hit him. His large eyes widened before they filled with tears, opening his mouth to shriek._

_Itachi heard and came running, dropping to his knees and seeing the gushing blood. "Satsuki-chan! What did I tell you? This looks bad, you might need stitches!" He turned around and lifted the now-bawling kid onto his back before running to their house. "Ka-san is going to kill me, or skin me alive…"_

_When they got inside, he let his little brother down, who still cried from the stinging wound. It had kept pouring so the blood now soaked his face and neck, seeping into his shirt. Itachi ran into the kitchen, where their mother was beginning to prepare dinner._

"_Ka-san! Satsuki-chan's hurt! I think he might have to go to the hospital because it's bleeding all over!"_

_The woman gasped, hearing Satsuki's sobbing from the door. "Itachi, tell me what happened while I tend to your brother."_

_She ran into the entrance hall, squatting next to Satsuki. "Sweetie, look at Ka-chan."_

_Satsuki rubbed his eyes as he looked at his mother. She nodded and ordered, "Itachi, get me a towel to try and soak up some of this blood."_

_She lifted her weeping child, nuzzling his hair. "It's okay baby, Ka-chan's here. Shhh, shhh."_

_Satsuki blubbered through the tears, "It's not Aniki's fault, Ka-san. I didn't listen to him."_

"_I'm sure he wasn't watching you properly, Satsuki-chan."_

_Itachi came back with a towel, which his mother snatched away from him and pressed it to the gash. "Now tell me while we're walking what happened."_

"_Satsuki-chan wanted to be shown how to throw kunai, but I told him he was too young, so I turned to go home and forgot I'd left a kunai in his hand. He threw it at a rock and it bounced off. The fault is all mine for turning my back on him."_

"_Itachi, you're becoming a jonin next week, what will your father say about this? You were careless, too careless for a ninja of your caliber! Perhaps your father should make them postpone your promotion!"_

_When they got to the hospital, the doctor that came clicked his tongue. "Stitches, definitely. Then again, when _aren't_ little kids this age not clumsy?"_

_Satsuki's eyes were covered as his injury was cleaned, sewn up and bandaged. The doctor was patient and quick, done in five minutes, humming as he taped on the gauze._

"_There we go, all better. Do you want a lollipop, son?"_

_Satsuki nodded, sucking on it as he wiped the remnants of his tears away._

"_That's a good boy. Now be more careful next time, okay?"_

"_Okay."_

_When they got home, Satsuki's father was just getting off his shoes, Sasuke doing the same. "Mikoto, you're usually done with dinner by now. Did something happen?"_

"_Satsuki-chan had to get stitches, because Itachi wasn't watching him carefully enough. And it was concerning a kunai," the still-cross mother explained._

_The stern man frowned and waved Itachi over, before striking him with the palm of his hand across his cheek. "I'm very disappointed in you, Itachi. You're a chunin, soon to be jonin, you shouldn't make such simple mistakes like turning your back on your four-year-old brother. He could've lost his eye had it gone any lower, and there isn't a supply of children in our clan donating eyes that could produce our Kekkei Genkai, you foolish child."_

_At seeing his father and mother so mad at his favorite brother, Satsuki began crying anew, both adults misreading his tears. His mother bounced him and cooed, "It's all right, Satsuki-chan."_

"_He must be tired and the anesthetic is wearing off. Let's go out to eat tonight so you don't have to cook, dear," his father explained, before turning to Itachi. "You go to bed without dinner and I'll be seriously considering postponing your rise to Jonin because of this."_

"_And you'll be sleeping alone for the next few weeks until Satsuki-chan has his stitches out. He'll be staying with your father and I until we deem you trustworthy enough not to get him hurt again."_

_Itachi bowed his head, his cheek very red from his father's slap. "Yes, Oka-san, Otou-san."_

Satsuki's eyebrows knitted together at how much he'd cried those few weeks because he'd missed Itachi so much. That had also been the only time their father had ever had reason to strike the eldest Uchiha boy. But Satsuki had learned not to do things until Itachi or his parents let him, or else he would've gotten more scars in his childhood. It had looked horrible for months before it faded from an angry red to a light pink. Now it barely showed at all.

"Satsuki-kun, is something the matter?" Sakura questioned.

"Nothing, just remembering something," he muttered.

Naruto patted his friend's shoulder as they sat down at Sasuke's bedside. "So, how alike were you and Sasuke as kids? Or were you as different then as you are now?"

"Sasuke was always rather calm and reserved, while I was the happiest child in the world, almost nothing could get me down, although now, I've matured out of my blissful innocence now, and Sasuke was forced into it early. But one thing about us is clearly different still: I'm an optimist, while he's a realist, maybe even a pessimist now. To me, every cloud has a silver lining, while he thinks every cloud has the chance of a storm. It's just how we've matured."

Sakura seemed to deliberate for a moment before she tentatively asked, "Satsuki-kun, what was Itachi really like? We only met him in battle, and he was always careful to reveal nothing, including anything about you."

Satsuki smiled, a hint of sadness to it. "To me, Aniki was the best big brother any boy could ever have: warm, caring, never to lie unless it was to protect me, my best friend. He loved me more than anything else in the world, including himself. Everything he did was for my benefit and Sasuke's. He gave his life to make sure both of us would be stronger than him in every way."

On their own tears began to flow down his cheeks. Sakura scrambled for a handkerchief, holding it out to him. He took it, dabbing his tears away.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up, Satsuki-kun."

"No, it's been this way ever since he died. It's the only way I can express my sorrow for him. So please, don't pity me. I'm fine."

"I never thought Itachi was the kind of guy that would sacrifice everything his had, even his life, for his younger brothers," Naruto admitted, shaking his head. "I didn't even think that you two even had an older brother. You never talked about him at all."

"Aniki was a touchy subject for a long time, mostly because of me," Satsuki disclosed. "I suppose neither of you knew this, but the reason why my existence was a secret for the longest time was because I was unfit to interact with people. It took two years, after the Uchiha genocide, to even be fit to interact with Sasuke, and another year for me to be normal enough to go outside. And even then, I was dependant on Sasuke to be my anchor."

"What happened to you, Satsuki-kun?" Sakura inquired, very curious as to what could've gone on that he was "unfit" for society.

"When I was a child, Aniki was my world, the center of my universe. But when he was suddenly gone, I went into a state of shock, followed by episodes of violent despair, then depression. I then spent a year on more substances than most medical ninja know about, before my memories were suppressed by the ANBU because nothing else could be done. I suppose it was a nightmare for Sasuke when I was sent home for recuperation. I was pale as death, rail-thin, my hair several shades lighter because of lack of nutrition, looking like a lost puppy, no, worse than that, an amnesiac person, because I couldn't remember anything. I was capable of doing things on my own, but everything else, people, places, was gone. If the words 'Aniki' or 'Satsuki-chan' were said to me, I actually fainted and another entity would take my place for a while. I refused to get near any place that reminded me of a hospital, I had phobias of medicines and sharp objects, so those problems had to be dealt with slowly. It was a miracle when I wanted to start up my training as a ninja again when I was eleven, four whole years after I'd fallen apart. For you to meet me when I was twelve and seeming normal, that was near impossible to have happened two years beforehand."

"You're talking about it now," Naruto pointed out, "to us, even. What happened after you were kidnapped, Satsuki?"

"Much was spending time with Aniki, what I found out about the Uchiha genocide and such was from him. He also taught me that life _has_ to go on even if he wasn't there for me. I had to mature mentally, as I had physically. Times had come that I couldn't lean on him for support, but walk on my own. Now I'll live on without him, whether I like it or not."

"Wow Satsuki, you're one tough guy now. I think even tougher than Sasuke."

"I don't know about that, but I've outgrown my childlike personality. I'm sixteen years old, old enough to be on my own and not suffer from loneliness. In fact, ever since Aniki died, other things have taken priority in my thoughts. Things I hadn't noticed until I was back here."

"What are those?"

Satsuki looked over at Sakura, who blinked, confused. He smiled a little and stated, "By my age any boy of the Uchiha clan should be married to a girl, although I probably would've had to choose a girl of high-standing because I was the son of the clan head. But now I can choose any girl I wish, and, considering I look like a calm version of Sasuke, I won't have any problems with girls throwing themselves at me."

The last phrase wasn't said with pride, more like it was a fact of life he'd rather not live with. Naruto snorted, agreeing, "Sasuke was always the class heartthrob, so I don't have any doubts that you're right." He then grumbled under his breath, "Even though it isn't fair."

Satsuki heard it though and smiled. "You don't see yourself properly, Naruto. You're actually quite handsome now, but it's your attitude that turns girls off. They think you're an idiot, and you don't know a thing about romance. You're…what do they call it…"

"Romantically retarded?" Sakura suggested, rolling her eyes.

"I was going to say 'romantically obtuse', but it does mean the same thing, I suppose," Satsuki accepted, sweat-dropping.

"You're so mean, Sakura-chan," Naruto whimpered.

"I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. You know more about men than girls, and if you don't change your ways, you're going to end up a single, perverted old man like Jiraiya-sama," Sakura dead-panned.

Naruto hit the ground, twitching from the bluntness of Sakura's words. He then shot up and stabbed a finger at Sasuke, who was still fast asleep. "Are you _still_ holding a torch for Sasuke, Sakura-chan? What if he's never gonna like you? I think it's dumb how guys like him never care about the feelings for girls—"

His sentence was cut off when Sakura slapped him, although she had a smile on her face. "Naruto, you say another bad word about Sasuke-kun and I'll beat you within an inch of your life."

"S-sure, Sakura-chan…"

Sakura then turned to Satsuki. "Satsuki-kun, can you tell me about how Sasuke-kun is now? Has he changed since he killed Itachi-san?"

"I don't know what he was like between the times I saw him, but right now he seems lost because his main purpose in life has been extinguished. Let him reorient himself before trying him. You might find him more accommodating if you do."

Sakura's eyed sparkled in happiness, while Naruto noticed that Satsuki looked sad as he gave her the advice. It was almost as if he too…

The blue-eyed ninja stood and waved to the dark-haired teen. "Satsuki, let's go outside."

"But I'm waiting—" the other began to protest.

"Sakura-chan can tell us if Sasuke wakes. I want to talk alone."

Satsuki nodded when he saw how serious the blonde was. "All right. Let's go outside."

When the door closed, Naruto turned to Satsuki. "You like Sakura-chan, don't you?"

"Why? Is that a sin?" Satsuki challenged, knowing that Naruto had a major crush on her.

"In my book, yes! I already have to deal with _Sasuke_ because of the advice you gave her, but now _you_? Why can't you like another girl? Sakura-chan's taken!"

Satsuki knew this could get ugly if he said the wrong thing, so he offered the other teen something. "Hit me."

Naruto was shocked still before he exclaimed, "What? Even though I want to right now, you brought Sasuke back! We're just becoming better friends and I don't think your brother would like it if I did! You should've seen what happened when I made fun of you when he was around! It wasn't pretty how he snapped."

Even as the blonde shuddered at the thought, the darker-haired young man shook his head. "It doesn't matter what Sasuke thinks after this. I want you to hit me with everything you can. If you do, I'll leave Sakura alone. But if you don't, I'll take her from you_ and_ Sasuke."

"How do you know you could?"

"As I said earlier, with my looks and friendly manner, I can have any girl in Konohagakure no Sato throw herself at me. So if she finds me more to her liking, she'll dump her notions of being with my twin and become my girlfriend, then wife."

Naruto was so incensed that he didn't hear the ring of the lie in his tone, nor his fake expression, an act to goad him into giving him a good slug in the face. He wanted to help Naruto get over his shyness and tell the thick girl how he felt, even if he had to use himself and his brother to do so.

"Satsuki, I'll KILL YOU!"

A sickening thud echoed through the hallway as Naruto's fist met the side of Satsuki's face. The Uchiha fell on his side, feeling a sharp pain in his jaw, signaling that it would be bruised and even broken. As he struggled to get up, holding his jaw with one hand, he spit a couple of shattered molars out of his mouth. He could feel his cheek starting to bleed from the blow as well. Knowing it would be unwise to talk, he gave his friend a thumbs-up before Naruto helped him up.

"Satsuki, I'm sorry! Your last comment really made me boiling mad!"

A nurse came to check on Sasuke, only to come upon the injured Satsuki. She gasped and ran to him. "Uchiha-san! Are you all right?"

Naruto shook his head. "I think his jaw's broken and he's lost a couple teeth."

"Come with me. Uzumaki-san, help him walk so he doesn't go into shock from the pain."

"Okay."

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><p>By the time Satsuki was treated, he'd had to get his jaw healed, then wired shut to let it heal naturally for a week or so, and his teeth replaced. A bandage was taped to his wound, but the painkillers were helping him just fine, though he felt a little loopy. Naruto looked sorry the whole time he walked (a nurse was pushing Satsuki in a wheelchair) back to the slightly-older Uchiha's room. Satsuki himself felt great, grinning like he'd just won the prize jackpot. In fact, he started chuckling at random intervals. In his entire experience with drugs, anesthesia and sedatives were the best with the giddy, floaty feeling after they were administered, and because of this experience, he'd had to be given enough to the point of overdose, so he was extra-high. He felt like he was on cloud nine, Naruto holding his arm so he didn't stand up, start skipping and fall over.<p>

When they reached the room, Naruto sliding the door open, Satsuki put in his seat, near-giggling with elation.

Sakura stared at him like he'd grown a second set of eyes. "Naruto, what happened to Satsuki-kun?"

"Long story short, we got into an argument, I hit him too hard, broke his jaw and now he's higher than a kite on painkillers," the genin explained in a rush.

"You actually hit him, you moron? Sasuke's gonna kill you, let alone what I'm gonna do now!"

Satsuki was blissfully unaware that his friend was getting pounded to a pulp. He was still grinning, like he knew a joke that everyone else had missed. He couldn't really talk right now, so he was just snickering in delight.

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><p>Poor Naruto...I think this is one of the longest chapters I've written before! Yay me!<p>

Anyone have any guesses on who Satsuki might end up with?

Please review!


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Now we have a different type of mood for this chapter!

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><p>Sasuke didn't wake until the next day, but he was still bedridden. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed (of course) was the bandage on Satsuki's jaw where he'd been whacked. He reached up and lightly touched it, frowning.<p>

"I'm out for a while and someone hurts you, Satsuki. Don't try to deny it, because you're not clumsy enough to run into a wall that hard, and you don't bruise that easily."

Satsuki pressed his lips together, since he couldn't talk and was hiding the fact that his jaw was wired shut. It would only upset his twin more. Since it was early in the morning, no one but him was here, and Shiro and Kuro were out surveying Konohagakure no Sato, marveling how such a village had come to be.

"Who did it to you? I'll pound him within an inch of his life."

The anesthetic had worn off by now, so he was sane again, but because of his clear head he was now aware that any attempted movement would make the dull throbbing turn into a burning that was too unpleasant to risk trying to talk. Besides, he'd already tried, so he would have to resort to writing if he wished to communicate bad enough. Playing charades was something he sucked at and Sasuke had no patience for.

"Aren't you gonna answer my question? I want to know."

Satsuki shook his head, sighing through his nose, a little frustrated that he couldn't talk already. He wanted to talk with his twin so badly that he picked up a notepad and began scribbling.

"What are you doing, Satsuki? Your hobby has never been writing because you suck at it and your penmanship isn't legible save to those who concentrate hard enough or know what it looks like from familiarity."

Satsuki pursed his lips and added a last comment before turning the pad to his brother. _Forget about me, how are you this morning? I'm not writing for my own entertainment._

"If you insist, I'm still pretty sore and tired, but I'm sick of sleeping. Did anyone come to visit while I was?"

_Of course, can you guess who?_

"Naruto and Sakura?"

_Bingo! They talked with me while visiting hours were permissible. I think I made good friends with them._

"If they were the only ones who visited, who hit you? Did you tick off Sakura or Naruto?"

Satsuki averted his eyes, just as a nurse came in. "Oh, you're awake, Sasuke-san. How are you feeling?"

"Better than yesterday."

"Satsuki-san, would you help your brother sit up while I change his bandages?"

Satsuki nodded, drawing back the covers and gently pushing his twin into an upright position. Since he was shirtless, it was easier for the nurse to access where all the bandages were.

"It looks like you're healing nicely, Sasuke-san. A few more days of rest and we can release you to rest at home. You should be up and about in a week if you don't overdo it."

She then turned to Satsuki and inspected his outer wounds before ordering, "Open, Satsuki-san."

He did so reluctantly, and she poked a little, stretched his lips to see his replaced molars and nodded. "Everything seems to be healing nicely, so I'll check on you two later."

She left, and Sasuke gave his brother a suspicious look. "Tell me how much damage was done."

Satsuki did so, writing hurriedly. It pained him to turn it, but he did so. _My jaw was broken so they had to heal it before wiring it shut, and a couple of my molars shattered so they had to be replaced. My skin broke so I was bleeding a little more than normal at first, too._

The elder of the two growled, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "When I get my strength back, I'll make you tell me, even if I have to hang you by your big toes from the ceiling."

Satsuki winced, not sure if his brother would make good on his threat.

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><p>This one was short, a scene mostly between the two brothers. What did you think?<p>

Please review!


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or else Sasuke wouldn't be such an evil jerk!

Time for some hilarity! Yay!

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><p>So, when a week passed and both the brothers were well again, Sasuke pounced, but Satsuki was waiting for it and fled.<p>

"Come back here Satsuki, and take it like a man!"

"No way! I'll run from you to the ends of the earth if I have to!"

They ran in circles within the confines of the house, not using any techniques because it would only break something. Not that there were many things to break in the house besides the house itself, only necessary furniture and appliances. Sasuke had changed to a high-collared white shirt that zipped up the front and black-mid-calf pants that hugged his legs, while Satsuki had taken on Itachi's style: black shirt with mesh covering the v-cut, black pants that went just shy to his ankles, and the very necklace his beloved brother had worn all those years.

But even if they looked more mature because of their growth and change of clothes, they ruined the image by acting like a pair of children. Sasuke's fingers snatched air was his twin dodged him yet again, feeling frustrated that the younger Uchiha wouldn't just spill his guts. He couldn't stand that Satsuki was protecting the one who hit him so hard. He would've asked Shiro and Kuro to help, but they took their master's side. Said two were currently on the couch in the main room, sharing a bowl of popcorn while they played shogi, doing nothing for either side, because Satsuki had told them to stay out of it unless it got serious and Sasuke started using techniques to try and immobilize him. Sure he could take being hung by his toes from the ceiling, he just didn't want to. Besides, he hoped Sasuke would tire out before him, so he could leave the house in peace and actually do something today.

Perhaps this chase would be to his advantage, then.

He took a sudden turn, whipped his sandals on and ran out the door, Sasuke just behind him.

"You can run, but I'll catch you, just you wait!"

"It'll be proven who has the most stamina when this chase ends Sasuke, so I'm not gonna let you catch me so easily!"

"You're getting more like Aniki every time I turn around!"

"Did you expect anything less? I did spend three years straight with _just_ him!"

"At least he wouldn't have run like a coward!"

"I'm not a coward, just difficult."

"Maybe I'll just pound you if you frustrate me enough!"

"That won't convince me to tell you if that's what you're shooting for, Sasuke."

"I can't stand that you're so compassionate, even to those that harm you! If you ever do it to an enemy, I'll finish you off!"

Satsuki shook his head, sighing. They were getting nowhere with this very fast, so he would have to find someone who could protect him until Sasuke cooled off, but who was the right person, that was a completely different problem.

They sprinted all over Konohagakure no Sato, not heeding the complaints and various rude gestures that were sent their way. Satsuki was slightly faster than his twin, but with his greater speed came the faster depletion of stamina. He'd been running for eight hours now and was getting to the point of his breathing getting unsteady. Sasuke was fine behind him, his breathing slow and even, so this chase would have to end, and Sasuke _wouldn't _be catching him.

He brushed past a girl with ink-colored hair, but felt something he hadn't felt before in that instant. Knowing it was a chance he couldn't "pass by", he turned and grabbed her from behind, making her cry out in surprise at being manhandled. Sasuke screeched to a halt and smirked, coming over.

"I've caught you now if you've resorted to using someone as a shield," he gloated, his smirk widening.

"You wouldn't hurt a girl to get to me!" Satsuki snapped, unaware how stiff the girl had gotten in his grasp.

"How long will she let you do that is the more important issue. I can tell by how flustered she is that she's very uncomfortable with you holding her like that."

"U-um…Sasuke-san, w-why are you th-threatening whoever's behind m-me?" the girl asked in a quivering voice.

Sasuke then noticed who it was that Satsuki was using as a human shield. He frowned and stated, "You'd better let her go before someone from her clan sees you. That's Hyuga Hinata you're holding as a shield."

Satsuki blinked in confusion and rubbed his chin. "Hyuga…Hyuga…never heard of them."

Sasuke face-faulted, he was so shocked. How could his twin _not_ know about the Hyuga clan? The second-most powerful clan next to theirs! He was surprised that the other teen hadn't looked up all the clans when they'd arrived here! "I'm amazed that you _don't_ know. You were in the Chunin Exam, weren't you? She and another of her clan were in it!"

"Memory loss, remember? I don't know a thing."

"Hinata is the heir of her clan, also. So I suggest you let go before someone notices you and beats you bloody for it."

"You're just trying to get her out of the way so you can drag me off somewhere to hang me by my toes! Do you think I have that kind of time on my hands? I do have a life to live besides you grilling me for information that isn't important. I asked for it, all right? So don't blame whoever hit me."

"They broke your jaw! I'm not gonna let that slide, even if that person is someone I know!"

"You're almost as bad as Itachi! Stop protecting me, I can deal with things on my own! If I want you to sock who hit me, I'd be all teary-eyed and babbling off the name to you! What makes you think I'm weaker than you anymore?"

"Because you always have been! Always!"

"Not always! I beat you in the Chunin Exam, didn't I?"

"That was a fluke!"

"It was not! If you looked at my eyes at the time, they were better than yours!"

"I beat Itachi! That was something you never did!"

"Who says? You weren't there when I did!"

"You wouldn't be able to beat me now! You're younger, you're always a step behind me, so I need to protect you!"

There was a silence, lasting for a whole five minutes before Satsuki turned his head away and muttered, "You're such a control-freak, Sasuke. I hate you."

With that, he let go of the shocked Hinata before turning away and leaving.

* * *

><p>Sasuke froze at the last three words that came out of his twin's mouth before he stormed off. He stood there for a moment before he asked Hinata, "Did he just say 'I hate you'?"<p>

She bit her lip, pressing her fingertips together before she affirmed, "Yes, Sasuke-san."

It was the Hyuga teen's turn to be shocked when he fell to his knees and dropped his face into his hands. "What have I done?"

"Um…Sasuke-san, perhaps you should let him make his own decisions and mistakes, not be so protective. He didn't sound too happy that you would torture him to protect him."

He stood and growled. "He's too compassionate, he's going to end up hurt if he does things on his own. Even now he's subject to bullies."

"Perhaps…but you can't keep him caged forever. He has to fly without someone there to catch him."

She left after that, making him think about how he would have to get his brother's affection back. He hoped it wasn't too drastic.

* * *

><p>Satsuki sighed, stepping into Ichiraku Ramen.<p>

"Welcome, young man! What's your order?"

"The works, and a glass of water."

"Coming right up."

He sat with his arms resting on the counter, eyes on a point where there was a dried drip of a former customer's soup. He'd just told Sasuke he hated him. He'd never hated anyone in his life, but to stifle his freedom wasn't acceptable in his book. So he would have to avoid the cause of his frustration until both of them got through this argument.

A bowl of ramen and a glass of water were laid in front of him, and the kindly owner asked, "What's eatin' you, kid?"

"I had an argument with my twin, and I left for a while."

"I see. You two were really close, then?"

"Yes. The only person I was ever closer to was my older brother."

"So, you're wandering?"

"Yes, I am. I suppose I'll sleep on a roof or in a tree somewhere. As a ninja, it shouldn't be too hard to find a good resting place."

"You're a human being, you should sleep in a bed in a building. Don't you have any friends to stay with?"

"A couple, but I don't want to burden them."

"I suppose either of them would be happy to, if they're good people. Do I know either of them?"

"Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto."

"Naruto and Sakura? Then I'm positive that they'd take you in, boy!"

He was surprised when a hand came to rest on his shoulder. He turned to see Naruto grinning at him. "The old man is right! If you're fighting with Sasuke, come stay with me until you can make up! Come on! We'll finish with the preparations tonight so we can play some games and hang out!"

They went to his apartment, Naruto unlocking it and turning on the light, only to shout in surprise. Shiro and Kuro were sitting at the kitchen table, eating chips and playing checkers.

"What the heck? Who are you and what are you doing in my apartment?" the blonde exclaimed.

Shiro moved a chosen piece and looked up. "You must be Naruto! Satsuki-sama told us both so much about you during his travels! I'm Shiro, and that's Kuro!"

Kuro smiled a little before jumping over a piece and taking it.

"You didn't tell me why the heck you're here!" Naruto protested.

Satsuki placed a hand on his friend's shoulder to calm him. "They're my partners. I summoned them a couple years ago and they've been following me since."

"They're a couple of kids!"

"Physically they're half my age, but the last time they were summoned it was at least a hundred years ago, if not more."

"So they're a really old summon? Why the heck are they playing checkers, then?"

"They like to play strategy games when there's nothing else to do. It's a habit they share."

"Okay, so how long are they gonna stay here?"

"Probably until I go back home. They are supposed to protect me."

"They aren't gonna bother us, right?"

"No, they don't even eat much."

"Okay, I'm good with that."

"So are you going to show me the accommodations?"

Naruto waved around the room and shrugged. "What do you need to know? There are only two rooms and the other door leads to the bathroom."

"Where will I sleep?"

"There's only one bed, I have a few extra pillows and sheets, so I guess you can take the bed."

"No, a fluffy mattress like that makes me uncomfortable. I've slept on the ground or a futon all my life, so I don't need much padding to get a good night's rest."

"Okay, I guess we'd better get some sleep in case we have any missions tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Okay...maybe that wasn't so funny. It turned out rather serious. For the first time the twins are fighting! How long will this last and will they make up?<p>

Please review!


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, not one whit!

This is a really short one, but it's important with a funny at the end!

* * *

><p>Naruto woke from a sharp yelp below him and looked down to see Satsuki tossing about, the sheets entangled around his thrashing form. Shiro and Kuro sat at his side, watching passively.<p>

"Aniki…I…I can't find you… Why?"

The blue-eyed teen leaned down leaned down to shake him awake, but was socked in the mouth, making him hiss in pain, retreating. "Dang it, what the heck is he dreaming about?"

Kuro looked up and smiled wanly. "Although he doesn't suffer while awake, he lets out his stress and sorrow in his dreams. He misses Itachi horribly and only shows it in his time of unconsciousness. He's actually pinned Shiro in his sleep before for tapping his shoulder. He's wrestling an enemy inside his head, probably his sorrow and fear of never seeing Itachi again. He'll do it all night, so watch out. He kicks, punches, anything he can manage. So I'd keep my distance if I was you."

"He must not win if it's still tormenting him."

"Probably, and he'll never get over this until he does."

"This is really gonna suck then. What if I need to pee in the middle of the night? He might hit me somewhere not comfortable."

"You'll have to do your business beforehand, or else you'll have to hold it through the night."

"This really, _really_ sucks."

* * *

><p>What do you think of this? It might be just as unhealthy for Satsuki as his memories suppressed. Whether or not that's evaluated upon will be revealed in further chapters!<p>

Please review!


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, so no suing!

Next chappie for ya! What's gonna happen now?

* * *

><p>A timid knock woke the two boys the next morning, Naruto stretching before getting up. Shiro and Kuro roused slowly, only to gasp when Satsuki got up and headed to the door, only clad in a pair of black boxers with red writing that exclaimed boldly on the back "Slap me, I'm cute!" pink hearts surrounding the words. He unlocked the door as Naruto noticed his roommate's attire.<p>

When the door opened, it revealed the person on the other side to be Hinata. She bowed and greeted, "Good morning, Uchiha-san." She raised herself up, then turned bright red when she noticed his lack of clothing. "Um…Uchiha-san, did you just get up?"

He didn't answer, only leaned against the doorframe, a snore escaping his lips. Shiro and Kuro sweat-dropped, before running over to their master and blocking his lower half from her view.

"Sorry, Hyuga-san!" Shiro apologized, bowing deeply. "Satsuki-nii is always like this in the morning! If a noise wakes him, he actually moves towards it and then falls back to sleep! He should be presentable in a few minutes, promise!"

Kuro pulled him into the bathroom, shutting the door behind them.

Naruto, who had pulled on some pants, grinned sheepishly. "Hinata-chan, why the early-morning visit?"

"Oh, I just wanted to meet Uchiha-san. We didn't come face-to-face yesterday, so I found out he was staying with you, Naruto-kun. Um, what's his first name?"

"Satsuki, don't you remember him from the Chunin Exam?"

"He was only twelve at the time, and he seemed much younger and happier then. I…was in the middle of the argument with Sasuke. I hope they can make up soon so he can be happy again. He's…changed in three-and-a-half years. He's much…taller and…more…more…" she trailed off, her blush deeper this time.

"I didn't recognize him either, Hinata-chan. He looks less like Sasuke and more like Itachi, although his face isn't as scary. I can see now that they're not identical twins, even though they looked like it when they were young."

The door opened again and Satsuki came out, eyes more or less open, but not completely alert, although he was dressed for the day. Kuro pulled him by the wrist, the older boy grumbling, "It's too early for this, Kuro…let me go back to bed."

Kuro jumped and slapped his summoner's cheeks. "Time to wake, Satsuki-sama! The visitor is waiting!"

Large black eyes opened fully as their owner held his abused cheeks. "Why do you always wake me like that? It doesn't feel good afterwards."

"A girl is here to see you. Hyuga Hinata."

"Hyuga? Oh! Hyuga-san! Sorry it took a little to get me up."

Hinata nodded, smiling. "It's all right, Uchiha-san. I'm sorry that you're fighting with Sasuke-san, so I…decided to bring you breakfast."

She held out a basket covered with a cloth, which he took, smiling. "Thank you, Hyuga-san. I'll have to do something in return."

The raven-haired girl turned pink and waved her hands. "No, no, Uchiha-san! I did this without expecting anything back!"

He looked her up and down, his eyes almost unnoticeably moving. She was very well put together, with a cute personality, she was better than Sakura could ever be. And her eyes, that whitish-lavender…the way she held herself… She was the perfect girl for him. He smiled and insisted, "I think I'll take you out on a walk later today, if your schedule permits. Would that please you?"

She pressed her fingers together, before she bashfully nodded.

"Thanks, is that all you wanted?"

"Oh! Yes, Uchiha-san. Have a good day! You too, Naruto-kun!"

She bowed again before leaving. Kuro watched her go and commented, "She does seem like a girl worthy of your attentions, Satsuki-sama. And from what I could sense, her pheromone levels were quite high."

Satsuki hit him over the head. "What the heck are you talking about, Kuro? If you weren't so impartial, I would've hit you harder than I did."

Naruto chuckled. "So she digs you, does she? No wonder she was blushing so much. You've been back for a week and already you have the shyest chunin hitting on you."

Shiro chirped, happy as can be, "Satsuki-nii has a girlfriend!"

The steel-haired teen hit his head on the doorframe and groaned, "We only officially met today, and we haven't even gone on a date or anything. How can she be my girlfriend? You three are impossible and I don't know how I'll live with you for however long it takes for my fight with Sasuke to end."

He closed the door and sat at the table to see what the Hyuga girl had made him. He uncovered the basket and smiled at the bento box. He lifted the lid and loved how cute she made everything in it. He broke the chopsticks and selected a piece. Popping it in his mouth, he chewed it slowly, only to see his three roommates watching intently. He swallowed and demanded, "What are you staring at? It's just bento, nothing special."

"It is good, Satsuki?" Naruto asked, eyes on the food now.

"She should be a good cook if she's to be your future wife," Kuro added.

"Things have to taste yummy or else you won't be very happy!" Shiro chimed in.

"You three are too nosy for your own good. For your information, it's excellent. She's very good at cooking it seems. It's not like she'd poison me."

As they kept on in their inquisitive staring, he wolfed the food down and saw a note inside the basket.

_Uchiha-san,_

_I hope that this makes you feel better after having such a fierce fight with Sasuke-san!_

_Hyuga Hinata_

It made him chuckle a little before he slipped it into his pocket and stood. "I'd better go see if the Hokage has a mission for me. Shiro, Kuro, let's get going."

There was a knock on the door and Naruto went to answer it. He pulled it open and frowned. "What do you want, Sasuke?"

"Is Satsuki here?" the crow-haired Uchiha asked, eyes full of guilt and anxiety. "I need to talk to him."

Satsuki tied his forehead protector on and shoved past his twin, not even looking at him. Shiro and Kuro ignored him too, since the teen had told them about what had happened.

"Satsuki, I came to apologize! Stop and listen to me!"

The large-eyed young man said nothing, his appearance neutral, which looked odd on his usually expressive face.

Naruto locked up his apartment and followed, yelling, "He doesn't want to talk to you, Sasuke! What you said and how you treated him aren't worth your words now!"

"Stay out of this, blockhead! This has nothing to do with you!" Sasuke snapped back.

"At least I care enough about him not to try and smother him! Even Itachi treated him better than you do!"

"Don't you dare bring Aniki into this! I _will not_ be compared with him!"

Satsuki shook his head. Sasuke always would hate being compared with Itachi, even after his death, and it didn't even matter what he was being compared in. It would always be his pet peeve.

"Well then, who should I compare you to, teme? _No one_ treats him as poorly as you do! If you want to apologize, do it right! You're still acting like you're in charge of him!"

"If he doesn't stop to listen to me, then how am I supposed to apologize, huh?"

"Let him cool off, that's how! He's still mad at you!"

"How long is that going to take?"

"I dunno, but you hounding him _isn't_ going to help it along."

"Fine. I'll keep my distance for a few days until I try again."

He stalked away, Naruto running to catch up, having been stopped for a moment to watch his former friend. If not anything, he'd become more of a jerk than before. He didn't want Satsuki out of his sight because of his "kidnapping" but Satsuki wasn't going to have the "overprotective older brother" thing at all. He was quite capable of taking care of himself. He'd almost beaten Gaara in his first Chunin Exam, in the final match and had received the rank he'd been striving for.

When they got to the Hokage's office, Tsunade smiled at their arrival. "Hello Naruto, and Uchiha Satsuki, the infamous twin of our former missing-nin. It's good to see you well, since you and your brother were suffering from exhaustion and had injuries as well. Are you feeling in top shape again?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama. It's good to finally meet you, and I must say, you're quite beautiful. I didn't know who the next Hokage would be or what the new leader would look like. I am pleasantly surprised to have the second most beautiful woman in Konohagakure no Sato—"

Tsunade grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him over to her, face and voice sweet as she demanded, "Which woman would you think was better-looking than _me_, Satsuki-_san_?"

Satsuki kept a serene face as he stated truthfully, "Hyuga Hinata."

The blonde Hokage heard the affection in his voice for the girl and her smile turned genuine as she let him go. "I'll accept your answer, Satsuki. If you keep up with your truthfulness, you might just have many people here trust you completely. A master of deception yet completely open to your allies. You're like Naruto in that way."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. Do you have any missions for me?"

"Actually, I do. Since you're a little rusty, I need you to take this C-rank mission, and take Naruto with you."

He read it, nodding. Naruto almost blew a fuse.

"Tsunade-obaa-chan! How can you expect an excellent ninja like me to take such a lame mission?"

"Because you are a genin, Satsuki's new to being a chunin, and this one will teach you patience. It will take approximately five hours to complete. I think you can handle that."

"Of course, Hokage-sama," Satsuki assented, bowing to her.

"Before you go, who are these two young boys following you? Are they somehow nephews of yours?"

"No, they're my summon. As far as I can see, they're exactly half my age and will only disappear when I die."

"If they're going to be going on missions, then they'll need to have these." She held out a pair of Konoha forehead protectors. "It'll make the people who you do assignments for more comfortable."

Kuro took his and nodded in gratitude, while Shiro grinned and cried, "Thank you! You're the goddess of kindness, Tsunade-sama!"

They tied it the exact same way as their master, including the knot.

"Now that that's done, you're dismissed."

* * *

><p>When the mission was finished, Naruto groaned. "I'm hungry after working! Wanna go somewhere to eat?"<p>

"Sorry, I have a previous engagement," Satsuki answered. "Shiro, Kuro, you know what I mean."

He left his summons and friend behind, to find Hinata going towards his current residence. He approached her and greeted, "Good afternoon, Hyuga-san."

"Good afternoon, Uchiha-san," she returned, bowing. "How did you like the breakfast I made you?"

"It was well-made and tasty. Plus it was pretty. I haven't had anything homemade since my parents died."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I cause you to recall some unpleasant memories?"

"It was over eight years ago. I've gotten over it. Don't be upset, I'm not. So, would you like to start our walk?"

"Yes, I would!"

They walked in silence for a few moments before Hinata asked, "I know it's a sensitive subject, but have you made up with Sasuke-san?"

"No, I haven't. This is the first real fight I've had with him, but I hate being controlled by anyone. I can handle myself, something Aniki made sure of."

"I think you seem very capable, considering you got back here on your own, carrying Sasuke-san on your back."

"Yes, that reminds me of when Aniki had to rescue me from being trapped in the top branches of a tree. Sasuke had dared me to climb as high as I could, and when I got stuck, I'd started to scream for help, since my whole arm had gotten stuck between two thick branches, the cloth of my shirt snagged…"

"_Sasuke-kun! Help me!" the five-year-old Satsuki shrieked, tears running down his face._

"_Don't move, Satsuki-chan! I'll go get help!" Sasuke called, running towards their house._

"_Don't leave me up here all alone! ANIKI! Help me!"_

_Satsuki tried to pull his arm out of the tight place, but a sharp pain stopped him, making him cry out and slip into a dangerous position, hanging by his arm and his heel barely balanced on the branch he'd been sitting on._

"_Satsuki-chan!" Itachi shouted, running for the tree with Sasuke at his heels. The twelve-year-old Uchiha boy jumped into the tree's branches, just as Satsuki slipped, the sound of tearing cloth and a scream of pain and fear the only things heard as the boy fell, only to be caught by his protective oldest brother. "It's okay Satsuki-chan, you're going to be just fine."_

"_It hurts, Aniki."_

"_Come on, we'll get you into the house and cleaned up before Otou-san gets home."_

"It wasn't until the bandages were taken off that how badly I'd been hurt was revealed. Boy, did Sasuke get it once Ka-san and Tou-san found out. It was quite the deep cut and the scar is still visible, see?"

He held out his right arm, showing a six-inch light pink scar on his forearm.

"Why were you so untalented as a child when it came to climbing trees?"

"Not just climbing trees, everything. I always had to be rescued or stopped before my inability would harm me. My innocence didn't help, either. That's a reason why it was unsure that I was supposed to become a ninja."

"Yet you made such a good one! If only you'd trained in the academy!"

"It didn't matter, really. I graduated on my first try, since I knew the basics. Would you have noticed me had I been there longer?"

"Um…I don't know, Uchiha-san. I didn't have much interaction with you at all until just yesterday, really. I don't think we've really talked until now…"

He watched her fidget, smiling at how cute she was while nervous. He'd never thought the girl he'd come to like would have such qualities that he would find alluring right off the bat. He made her shy, so she must find him attractive too, or he was just hard to talk to. Either way, through more time together he'd find out which one it was.

"Um…Uchiha-san, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"No, I was just thinking about something. Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable."

"I-it's okay."

"So, I've told you something about me, what about you? Were you rather clumsy as a child?"

"U-um, yes I was, I think worse than you were, Uchiha-san. Except I had Neji-nii-san to help me when I needed it…"

"Neji? You have an older brother?"

"No, he's my—"

"First cousin," a deeper, more mature voice finished.

"Oh! Neji-nii-san!"

Satsuki turned to see a young man a little older than he with similar features to Hinata, but with a stern face and expression. He wore a yukata of an off-white color with a deep purple one hanging open and from his elbows. He also wore his forehead protector in its proper place, making it seem like he'd just come from a mission. He narrowed his eyes as he assessed the Uchiha. "Is this the one you told me about yesterday?"

"Yes, he is."

"So this is the famous Uchiha Satsuki. I'm Hyuga Neji."

They bowed to each other, Satsuki rising with him. "You're Hyuga-san's first cousin?"

"Yes. You must be Sasuke's twin, if my assessment is correct."

Satsuki stiffened. "Yes, he and I are twins."

"Is there something wrong?"

Hinata came over and whispered, "They're fighting right now, so it's best not to mention him."

Neji nodded. "I apologize for being so insensitive."

"It's all right," Satsuki said in turn, shaking his head. "We've only just met, there was no way you could've known. This morning Hyuga-san came over to where I'm residing at the time and gave me breakfast without me asking for help. She's a very nice girl to do so when she'd never met me properly."

Hinata blushed, while Neji nodded in approval. "That was very thoughtful of you, Hinata-sama."

"Why do you call her that?"

"It's because of her position. She is one of the main family, and I'm of the branch family."

"Why would first cousins be of two different families?"

Hinata opened her mouth to speak, but Neji stopped her. "Allow me, Hinata-sama. Because her father is the head of the clan, and my father was serving the main family because he was born second. It's how our clan works."

"I don't get it. My clan never had such rules."

"_Only_ the Hyuga clan has such regulations, to protect our bloodline. Which is utter nonsense."

Satsuki made a single conclusion from that: It really sucked to be born into the Hyuga clan. He was thankful he hadn't had to endure such rules. He couldn't imagine being forced to serve his own cousin, just because of when his father or mother had been born. But he knew they were too proud to be pitied, so he nodded. "I still don't understand, but perhaps someday I might. When I become Hinata-san's husband."

Hinata just about fainted from the proclamation, and Neji narrowed his eyes. "Why would one of the last Uchiha want to marry into another clan? Especially one like the Hyuga. You do know Hinata-sama is already being called upon by several suitors."

"I've known from the moment I saw her, she was the one I was going to marry. I don't care if I have to make a blood contract, I will have her as my wife."

"Well then, if you're that passionate, then come and we'll seek an audience with Hinata-sama's father, Hiashi-sama."

Neji turned away, leading the pair to the Hyuga compound, Hinata twiddling her fingers while Satsuki was kicking himself inside. What had he just said? He hardly knew her, yet he felt so strongly for her that the words had just fallen out of his mouth. Since when had he been so impulsive? **A/N: *snickers* Satsuki, what have you gotten yourself into?**

They stepped into a large room, where a more imposing man than Neji knelt, as a ten-year-old girl practiced a technique. Both looked up at the trio's entrance and Hiashi glared at Neji.

"For what reason have you imposed on this important training session, Neji?"

"Hiashi-sama, it is of the utmost importance that I interrupt so rudely."

Hiashi's intense eyes zeroed in on Satsuki and he nodded. "Very well. Hinata, Hanabi, Neji, leave us."

Hanabi quickly hurried out and Neji slid the door shut behind the Uchiha teen. Satsuki bowed and greeted, "Good afternoon, Hyuga-sama."

"Come, kneel in front of me."

The young man did as requested, looking straight into the Hyuga clan head's eyes. on the outside he was as calm as he'd looked when he'd come back to Konohagakure no Sato, but on the inside he was thinking of any way to get him out of this without insulting the Hyuga clan in the process.

So introverted was his attention that he nearly jumped when Hiashi asked, "What does the youngest child of Fugaku and Mikoto, the most prestigious of the Uchiha, want from me?"

"Your daughter's hand in marriage."

Lavender eyes narrowed slightly. "What makes you think that you're worthy of my daughter? I will have to test you with a set of questions then."

"Of course, Hyuga-sama."

"What is your current ninja rank?"

"Chunin."

"Have you ever left Konohagakure no Sato for anything except a mission?"

"Yes."

"What was it?"

"I was kidnapped by my oldest brother, who was a member of the Akatsuki. I only returned nine days previous to this."

"What is your current level of skill, according to those you train with?"

"Jonin, or even ANBU."

"You would be able to accomplish this position your skills are at easily?"

"Yes."

"Have you reached the highest level of your Kekkei Genkai?"

"Yes."

"Have you killed any in your pursuit for this power?"

"No."

"Have you ever loved a woman like my daughter?"

"No."

"Have you ever been engaged, in any shape or form?"

"No."

"Have you ever been intimate with a woman in the past?"

"No."

"Have you had any unfiltered blood transfusions?"

"No."

"Have you been subjected to an excessive amount of drugs at any time in your life?"

"Yes."

"May I ask the reason?"

"I was psychologically unstable for a time and needed treatment. My blood is clean now, I haven't been exposed to any type of drug in that amount since then."

"Have you had any relapses in this instability?"

"No."

"Will you ever be unfaithful to my daughter if you marry her?"

"Never."

"If all that you've said is true, all that's left is for you to sign this contract."

Satsuki looked it over carefully and saw it stated that he would be responsible for caring for Hinata, providing for her and any children they had, and lastly, that she would take on his name and only have ties with the Hyuga clan if any of her children possessed the Byakugan. So, in a nutshell, she was being banished and given to him for good until she had the luck of bearing a child with the Hyuga Kekkei Genkai.

How had this gone so askew so fast?

In a flourish, he signed his name and put a bloody thumbprint next to it.

Hiashi took it, tied it shut and stood. "Satsuki-san, come with me while my daughter is made ready to leave."

They walked to a courtyard where a cherry tree bloomed. The pair gazed at the blossoms for a while in silence until Hinata's voice came up from behind them.

"Chichi-ue, I'm ready."

The Hyuga clan head turned and beckoned her, before he took her wrist and placed her hand into Satsuki's. "Go, and make my clan proud, Hinata."

The teenagers were cast out of the compound, Hinata, who was wearing a white kimono with a light pink obi with magenta cherry blossom petals scattered all over it, holding what she needed to live outside her home, looked up at her new husband.

"Um…Uchiha-san…what should we do now?"

He dropped his face into his palm. "Me and my big mouth just got me married to a girl I barely know. I guess I can't do anything about it now," he grumbled, before turning to her. "Come on, I'll think of something."

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><p>This chapter made me laugh a lot. Poor Satsuki, what is he gonna do now?<p>

FYI, Hiashi was looking for someone to take Hinata away from the clan so Hanabi wouldn't have any competition as clan heir, which was why he grabbed on with both hands when Satsuki came to ask for Hinata's hand. The marriage happened when he signed and sealed the contract in blood, which cannot be broken unless by the most terrible offenses.

What do you guys think about this pairing? Bad, good? Okay?

Please review!


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Now what's gonna happen since Satsuki and Hinata are married?

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><p>For two weeks, no one saw anything of the pair, Tsunade sending out search teams to find them, when they suddenly came back, both of them looking rather complacent.<p>

"Where have you two been these last two weeks?" the female Hokage demanded. "Especially _you_, Satsuki, when I specifically told you that you were to be monitored for a year!"

Satsuki shielded himself from her fury behind Hinata. "I'm sorry, I was having a small vacation with Hinata-chan!"

Hinata bowed, face penitent. "We're deeply sorry for not informing you, Hokage-sama. We lost track of time while we were gone."

"Well then, get some time to get settled at your homes and tomorrow I'll have an assignment for you both."

"Yes, ma'am."

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><p>They first walked to the apartment he'd shared with Naruto, where he stopped her at the corner before the door. "Wait here. I'll get my stuff, talk for a bit and come back."<p>

"Okay, Satsuki-kun."

He went over to the door and knocked. It opened and he was tackled by Shiro and Kuro. "Satsuki-nii! You're back!"

"Satsuki-sama, where did you go? Naruto and Sasuke have been going nuts trying to find you, since you just vanished!"

"I've been out on a break, is all. You could call it 'unauthorized shore-leave'."

Kuro glared at him as he entered the apartment, clearly disapproving of his master's calmness when everyone had been worried sick that he'd left without saying a word. "Everyone was in a panic with you gone! What are you doing now?"

"What do you think I'm doing? Gathering up my things I left here, of course."

"Are you leaving again?" Shiro asked, worried that he was.

"Not permanently. Just I need some space away from Sasuke, and I don't need to burden Naruto so much."

"You're still mad at him?" Kuro demanded. "I think two weeks is enough for even you to cool off."

"No, it's not that. Something's come up and I have to have some extra distance. I can't live in the same house anymore, it just wouldn't work."

"What would make you want to move out of the house of your late youth? I doubt Sasuke will understand this new arrangement you've decided upon."

"He will, once I'm settled."

He lifted the small pack he'd carried everything in and rumpled Shiro's hair. "Bye, Shiro, Kuro. I'll come over if I need anything."

"Bye, Satsuki-nii!" Shiro called, as he shut the door.

He went over to Hinata, who'd overheard the whole thing. "To have to estrange your own friends over all this, shouldn't you tell them?"

"I don't want their pity or mockery over this, even if I'm just getting the hang of it. I acted like an idiot and I'm going to suffer the consequences alone."

"I don't think you acted like an idiot, Satsuki-kun."

"Just come on."

They went to the house the two Uchiha brothers shared, Satsuki packing up everything he owned and taking one last look around before leaving, taking his wife to a chosen spot of land, laying out a large storage scroll before revealing it contents. A decently-sized house appeared, before he nodded to her. They began to move in, putting their belongings throughout including what they'd purchased on their "vacation".

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><p>By the time a week went by, they were done with the renovations. There was a wall and a gate that locked by a single key that Satsuki held. Not that it would keep any determined ninja out, but normal people, yes. Hinata had just finished hanging up a wind chime when there was a knock on the gate. She went to it, opening it, not surprised when she saw it was Naruto.<p>

"Hinata, have you seen Satsuki? I heard he was back!"

"He's here, but he's meditating. If you want, you can have some tea with me until he's done."

"Sure, anything so I can whack him over the head!"

She led him into the house, Naruto gasping. "Wow, you sure know how to decorate, Hinata! It looks awesome! I mean, really, _really_ awesome!"

"Thank you, Naruto. This is on a limited budget."

"It looks like a miniature palace! No way is this stuff cheap!"

"Some is rather pricy, but they were heirlooms that I received at my leaving. Do you really like it?"

"Yeah!"

He sat in the dining room as she prepared the tea. As she poured it, he questioned, "How long have you been here?"

"A week, though it seems longer with all we've been doing to set up this house."

"Do you know why he's been avoiding me if he's been back a week?"

She stiffened, but as she turned she kept her eyes on the floor. "I don't know if I should tell you, he did tell me not to say anything should anyone ask."

He gulped down his tea and gave her a serious look. "Hinata, he's acting odd. You're probably his girlfriend now, so you know." When she didn't answer, he accused, "He messed around with you and made you pregnant, didn't he? And he's embarrassed to admit it!"

"No, that's not it, Naruto-kun! It's anything but!"

"So then what is it?"

"Hinata-chan?" a deep, masculine voice called. "Is someone visiting?"

The person who entered was the epitome of grace and refinement. Wearing a gray yukata that peeked out from under a sea-blue kimono with a scattering of open fans across the surface, was—

"Itachi? But you're dead!"

Hinata giggled, covering her mouth with a hand.

"Naruto, you'd think you'd recognize me."

Naruto blinked, as the young man smiled. "No way! Satsuki? You look just like Itachi now!"

"I don't know, but everyone who's seen me says so, even my voice sounds like his. Even these little creases by my eyes."

"What happened to you in three weeks that all these changes took place?"

"They happened eventually, so much that I barely noticed."

Satsuki knelt next to his friend, looking serious yet like the picture of serenity itself. Naruto's mouth hung open, since the broken-up wreck that the teen had been three weeks ago was gone, and this mature young man had taken his place. Anger had made him seem so young and immature.

"You're shorter than he is, but your face is screaming to me 'Itachi! Itachi has come back from the dead!' you know?"

"Why do you think there are no mirrors in this house? I don't want to be reminded. You know that I'm still mourning for Aniki, albeit quietly."

"If I'd ever known the head of the Uchiha clan, I'd say you would be his successor in every way."

"Why?"

"Because of how refined you are and you're so composed. Now, why have you been avoiding me this past week? Hinata won't tell me."

Satsuki lowered his head a little, secretly glancing at his wife. He'd hidden enough, so now was the time to take his mistake and turn it into an accomplishment. "I suppose this will surprise you, but there has been a union between the Hyuga and the Uchiha."

"You mean both the clans joined together and are now one?"

Hinata shook her head, and Satsuki spoke again, clarifying. "Hinata and I are married."

"Already? You just met her three weeks ago! I thought you two would be dating at least a few months before you asked her!"

"At the time it seemed a little early, but now we've settled and everything has turned out for the better. We're the best of friends and we love each other very much."

Hinata placed a hand on her husband's. "He's the gentlest and kindest man any girl could ask for in a husband. He'll be a wonderful father to our children when we have some."

Naruto suddenly frowned, looking rather sad. "I guess you haven't heard, but Ero-sennin died recently."

Satsuki blinking in confusion, but Hinata explained, "Jiraiya the Toad Sage, one of the Legendary Sannin. He was Naruto's mentor for three years, ever since before the third exam."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I know what you must be feeling right now," the Uchiha teen murmured, giving him a sympathetic look.

"To think he'd die just like that…I can't stand it! To think that someone as powerful as him would get killed—"

"Just like the Sandaime Hokage."

"Yeah, but it hurts so much more because he died after we did so much together…he was like a father to me when I had no one else, my best friend…"

"I know, I felt the same way when Aniki died, except the only thing I could do was cry a little. You can fall into the depths of despair if you wish, but it won't help you any. Just let it out, and when you're done, get some sleep. In a while, if you're still moping, train your guts out to get the stress out. I'll be here when you get back, promise."

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><p>What do you think of the new Satsuki? I like him, but what's your opinion?<p>

Please review!


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

This chapter is a major shortie! Sorry about this!

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><p>Naruto took Satsuki's advice, actually leaving to go train. But, when time passed, and a month went by, unknown, powerful ninja began attacking the village, searching for the Kyubi. Satsuki and Hinata rushed to help, encountering one that was summoning beasts everywhere. His eyes lit up in the Mangekyo Sharingan, before his right eye began to bleed, as he unleashed Amaterasu. He only stopped to check if the flames were consuming the target before moving on, knowing by the eyes and color of hair that they had something to do with the faux leader, Pain. And no one else had those creepy piercings everywhere.<p>

Suddenly, an explosion went off right in front of him. He felt a smoldering heat before everything went silent, then black.

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><p>I like this cliffie. The next chapter is the last one, I'm so sad! *cries*<p>

Please review!


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: For the last time, I don't own Naruto!

This is the last chapter, everyone! *cries* I always hate to see the ending of a good fic!

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><p>Everything was still eerily silent as he woke next, his body heavy. As feeling came back to it, a dulled pain came to his chest and arms, along with the sensation of someone holding his hand. His eyes tightened before he forced them open, his vision met with white. The pressure on his hand increased, making him wince, then look over to see Hinata gazing down at him. Her lips moved, but the silence still reigned.<p>

She turned away for a moment, before the former Team Seven came in, Naruto grinning and speaking with no sound, Sakura coming over and checking him over, while Sasuke stayed back, looking a little anxious. Sakura checked his pulse, breathing, eyes and mouth before helping him sit up, unwinding the bandages. She raised her hands before beginning a healing technique, healing the third degree burns on his chest and arms, before removing bandages on his ears, doing the same thing, but no sound came back. She spoke to him, smiling supportively. He raised his free hand to his ear, finding it unblocked by anything, although he thought he had earplugs in.

He snapped his fingers, no sound. His eyes widened, and he tried again, same result. Hinata's grip on his hand grew tighter still, and he turned to her. She looked concerned and probably asked something, but still nothing. He shook his head, unable to answer her in any other way. She turned to Sakura, speaking, and Sakura appeared in his view again, saying something slowly, accentuating the movements of her lips. He stared hard, but couldn't read her lips at all. He shook his head again, before Hinata's eyes filled with tears, covering her mouth with her hands. Sakura nodded, before turning to Naruto and Sasuke, who were standing off to the side, obviously waiting for Sakura to be done. They looked up, eyes growing wide as a moment passed. Naruto ran up to him, shouting at him, but he just blinked, not able to hear him. Sasuke came over, before activating his Sharingan, turning it off, then on again. Satsuki figured he wanted him to activate his Sharingan, so he did, and his brother spoke, but this time the technique picked up the movements of his lips and translated them.

"_Satsuki, if you can read my lips, nod your head twice."_

The steel-haired teen did as asked, his twin grinning.

"_Everyone, I've figured out how to communicate with him for now until we can think of something less taxing on his chakra."_

Naruto pushed him out of the way. _"__Satsuki!__ I__'__m__ so __sorry__ this__ happened __to __you __because__ I__ wasn__'__t __here!__ But__ at __least __you__ took__ out__ one__ of__ the__ enemies __before__ they__ took__ you__ down!__"_

Before he could say anything else, Sakura pulled him out, obviously letting Satsuki's family talk with him, since he still felt rather weak, his chakra wasn't at its highest capacity at the time, so there was less time to talk. Sasuke tapped his shoulder to get his attention.

"_I __know __we__ should__'__ve__ done __this__ much__ sooner, __I__'__ll__ do__ it__ now.__"_ He looked pained, but muttered, _"__Satsuki, __I__'__m__ so__ sorry__ I__ tried__ to__ rule __your__ life. __I__ wanted__ to__ protect __you, __yet __you__ did__ more __than__ I__ did__ during __the__ Akatsuki__'__s __attack, __even__ if__ you__ lost __your __hearing. __You__ got__ married __and__ moved__ out,__ while __I__ wanted __to __chain __you__ down, __clip __your __wings.__ Will__ you__ ever __forgive__ me?__"_

Satsuki smiled and nodded, wanting to say something, but couldn't.

Hinata, who now wanted his attention, cradled his cheek. _"__Satsuki-kun, __while__ Sakura __was__ checking __me __for__ wounds,__ she__ found__ that__ we__'__re__ going __to__ have __a__ baby. __I__'__m__ pregnant,__ my__ love.__"_

His answering smile was so luminous that he could've been mistaken for the sun. He embraced her, kissing her on the cheek. She blushed, smiling in return at his ecstatic reaction.

Sasuke must've said something, because she nodded. _"__Yes,__ you__'__re__ going__ to__ be__ an__ uncle,__ Sasuke-san.__"_

Satsuki was so happy that he was helping his clan to grow again that he passed out, not just from chakra exhaustion.

Life was even better than before, even if he'd lost something valuable to him. Now he could retire and live with his wife and look forward to the birth of their child. Although he would never hear again, he would revel in all his other senses and live life to the fullest.

He was content, and that was all that mattered.

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><p>And that's the ending! Sorry that it seemed like it cut off prematurely, but it was the rare time I couldn't think of anything else to add, so I ended it.<p>

So for the last time as well...

Please review!


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